When Cypress/Medicine Hat MLA Len Mitzel and Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs, Hector Goudreau paid a visit to Irvine last Wednesday, they learned firsthand of the frustrations of the people affected by the June flood.

Most have not received any compensation yet from the Southern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program and those who have received a cheque, got money for their contents of their home only and nothing for the structural damage. To add insult to injury, many are claiming to be getting poor treatment when contacting the AEMA for assistance and some are getting poor advice. One man, whose home is inhabitable and has not yet received any funding, was told to stick a board into a gaping hole in his basement wall. Similar stories are plentiful from those affected by the flood. Still others have yet to have an adjuster visit their property to assess the damage-a full two months following the event that caused the damage.

To date more than 2,500 applications for disaster recovery assistance has been received by the AEMA and yet they only have about 30 assessors working on the ground, assessing the homes and farm operations. Immediately, it can be seen where one of the weak links exists in getting funding to these people in a quick and reasonable fashion, as was promised by the Alberta government early in July.

The AEMA needs to get more assessors to the people, so they can start rebuilding their homes and their lives. With many of these people still living in camper trailers on their properties as they wait to get back into their homes, winter is just around the corner and the province needs to take rapid action to ensure these people will have homes to go to. One woman was told she would have to wait three months to find out if she would be getting any funding. Three months?? By then, it could be snowy and cold and inadequate to expect her family to be living in a trailer then.

The people in southeast Alberta who suffered losses from the flood deserve to be treated by their government with respect and dignity and not with the rude manner many are saying they are being treated with by some government employees.

MItzel and Goudreau now are loaded with information that has come straight from the people who are suffering the most. They have heard of the experiences these people have had in trying to rebuild their lives, and they listened to the countless frustrations. It is time for them now to do the right thing and take rapid action in getting these folks back on their feet.