Regina residents could soon be eligible for provincial relief to cover damages caused by flooding events in June. At Wednesday’s meeting, Regina’s executive committee decided to apply to make the city eligible for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP). This would allow residents to seek help from the program in covering the costs of property damage stemming from the heavy rainfall from June 27 to June 28. “It’s a procedural item essentially that council has to approve in order to allow for residents to apply to the program to get the funding,” Mayor Chad Bachynski explained. “We’ve had this before. Unfortunately it’s not great circumstances that we have to bring this forward, but it’s important for us to approve to make sure we allow for residents to have access to that funding.” Over 300 homes across the city experienced flood-related damages, according to city administration. Service Regina received 331 service requests related to excessive water in homes and yards. Although neighbourhoods across the city were impacted, administration pointed out communities in the northwest were hit the hardest. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s PDAP provides support for essential uninsurable losses, temporary relocation and repairs related to disaster-related costs. As of July 16 the province increased its maximum assistance for individuals from $240,000 to $500,000, and for small businesses from $500,000 to $3 million. Homeowners and renters, small businesses, agricultural operations, First Nations, non-profits and communities are eligible to apply.
