BC is out with a reminder today to say money is available for people impacted by the first atmospheric river of the season, which happened this October.
The frightening and overwhelming rainstorm caused rapid flooding, a sinkhole, landslides, and a fatal mudslide. Now, the province is letting people know that disaster financial assistance (DFA) is available for eligible people in parts of the province.
According to a press release, communities in the Lower Mainland affected by flooding from October 18 to 20 and live in communities within Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, or Squamish First Nation could receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid.
“Financial assistance is provided for each accepted claim at 80 percent of the amount of total eligible damage less $1,000, to a maximum of $400,000,” the BC Government site reads.
DFA is available to homeowners, renters, business owners, farmers, corporation-owned properties and charitable organizations to cover “uninsurable disaster-related losses.”
“DFA may compensate for sudden, unexpected and uninsurable losses that are essential,” the province said. “This may include building repairs to a damaged principal residence, replacement of essential personal effects, cleanup and debris removal.”
However, DFA can’t compensate people for losses for which insurance “was reasonably and readily available,” the province added.
You can submit your DFA application online within 90 calendar days of the event declaration. So, if the storm impacted you in October, the deadline to submit applications is February 23, 2025.