Big Medicine

Victoria BC--At the request of the City of Duncan, the Province has sent additional equipment to that community to support the local government’s flood protection efforts.

Approximately 5,000 sandbags were shipped to the city last night and two large water pumps were delivered today. The Province has also provided a helicopter to allow city crews to fly over flooded areas in order to better assess the damages.

Yesterday, the provincial government approved Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) for four regions on Vancouver Island including the area in and around Duncan. The DFA program helps eligible homeowners, residential tenants, farms, small businesses and charitable organizations when property is damaged by uninsurable disasters, including certain floods and mudslides. For acceptable claims, the program covers up to 80 per cent of the portion of a claim exceeding $1,000, to a maximum of $300,000. Local governments are also eligible for DFA.

Senior officials with Emergency Management BC/Provincial Emergency Program are on site in Duncan assisting the local government.