Swift Current applying for disaster assistance in wake of storm

Swift Current is asking for help as the city and its residents recover from a major storm that battered southwestern Saskatchewan on Saturday.

According to a Facebook post recapping a meeting Monday, Swift Current’s city council asked administration to apply to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and ask that the city be designated “an eligible assistance area under the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program” in the wake of the storm.

The public safety agency’s website says the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program “helps residents, small businesses, agricultural operations, First Nations, non-profit organizations and communities recover from natural disasters, including flooding, tornadoes, plow winds and other disasters caused by severe weather.”

It also lists the steps people need to take to get assistance from the provincial government.

The City of Swift Current has said the community received between 25 and 75 millimetres of rain on Saturday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The city termed the storm “a 1:100-year rain event,” referring to its severity.

The storm also included golf-ball-sized hail.

Forms for PDAP are available at Swift Current City Hall and online.

Jim Jones, the city’s chief administrative officer, laid out the effects of the storm for council during Monday’s meeting.

“The repercussion of this event caused citizens and businesses within the city to incur damages,” he said.

If the city is designated under the PDAP, residents can apply for coverage on damages caused by the storm. Things like broken eavestroughs, fences and trees that have fallen on homes or other private property are eligible.

The exact amount of assistance provided is determined on a case-by-case assessment.

— With files from Swift Current Online