HUMBOLDT 鈥� A year after heavy rains caused flooding in Humboldt, the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program has paid nearly $17,000 to date for four approved claims.
Ten claims in total were made to the program in 2020 from property owners within the City of Humboldt after the June 30, 2020 rainfall, according to the corrections, policing and public safety ministry, which administers the program.
That day, between 2.5 and four inches of rain fell, overwhelming the city鈥檚 storm sewer system and causing flooding. In response, the Red Cross sent basement cleanup kits that included cleaner/degreaser, gloves, N95 mask, garbage bags, mop, brush, squeegee and a push broom.
Afterwards, the City of Humboldt applied to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program and was deemed eligible, allowing individual property owners to make a claim.
The program is aimed at covering damage or loss to uninsurable, essential property, according to the provincial government. It is not a substitute for private insurance nor does it cover any insurable losses. The program does not provide full compensation for losses and only provides assistance to return property to its pre-disaster condition.
鈥淪askatchewan homeowners are encouraged to speak to their insurance broker or insurance company about residential overland flood insurance to ensure that they have coverage that best meets their needs,鈥� said a spokesperson from the public safety ministry.
According to a fact sheet from the program, while residential overland flood insurance has been introduced to Saskatchewan in 2016, at this point, it鈥檚 not deemed reasonably available across the province.
鈥淯ntil residential flood insurance is considered to be reasonably available in Saskatchewan, PDAP assistance may be considered for homeowners in situations where eligible claimants can demonstrate that they are worse off as a result of purchasing residential flood insurance than if they had made a claim through PDAP,鈥� said the program鈥檚 general claim guidelines.
The province added that once it鈥檚 determined that flood insurance is reasonably available, some claims may no longer be eligible for the program鈥檚 assistance.
