Disaster relief coming in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, province says
Financial assistance applies to 'basic costs' only, deadline to apply is Jan. 31, 2023
The government of New Brunswick is providing disaster relief financial assistance for people affected by post-tropical storm Fiona.
In a news release, the province said the program applies to individuals, small businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipalities that suffered property damage on Sept. 23 and Sept. 24.
Residents affected can report damage by calling 1-888-298-8555 or online. Phone reporting is only available between 8 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
"Reporting damage to the government as soon as possible is an important part of the provincial damage assessment and recovery process," the release said.
The release said health and safety inspection teams "may be dispatched if required," to help assess the damage.
Once people register, they will receive an application package in the mail. They can also get the package online, the release said, but they must still register before filling one out.
The deadline to submit an application is Jan. 31, 2023.
Power outages remain for 3rd day
Fiona caused significant damage in the province. On Saturday, winds reached more than 100 km/h, and a storm surge along the eastern coast damaged homes, roads and bridges.
More than 95,000 N.B. Power customers lost power over the course of the storm. By Sunday night, power was restored to 85 per cent of them, but thousands still were in the dark, and some people in southeastern New Brunswick are waking up to a third day of no power.
More than 7,240 customers did not have power as of 2:50 p.m. Monday.
Most of the customers that remain affected are in Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, Sackville-Port Elgin and Shediac-Cape Pelé. There are also 733 customers waiting for power in the Kent region.
The City of Dieppe announced Monday it has opened a warming and charging station at the Aquatic and Sports Centre located at 111 Aquatic Street.
The centre will be open from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily until power is restored for all residents.
Showers are available for public use at the location.
N.B. Power spokesperson Dominique Couture said that of the 13,000 who did not have power earlier Monday morning, about 5,500 were affected by new outages that have been reported overnight in the Acadian Peninsula and in the Fredericton area.
"Those are still under investigation," Couture told Information Morning Fredericton.
Almost all Acadian Peninsula and Fredericton area customers had power back by 11 a.m.
Couture said the biggest challenge the utility is facing is the large number of outages affecting small clusters of customers, and some roads are still blocked.
"The number of isolated outages we need to address, to either make repairs or things of that nature, is making it challenging at this time," she said.
"I wouldn't say necessarily that there are longer repairs, simply that the volume of repairs we have to do is quite significant."
Couture said crews, some working 16-hour days, have seen "great co-operation" from residents.
"We understand that it is not easy to be without power and we are doing the most that we can to restore power quickly, efficiently and mostly safely," she said.
The bulk of the outages remain in the Shediac-Cap-Péle, Sackville-Port-Elgin and Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe.
Approximate restoration time for the southeastern area is between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Monday, but Couture said it's an ever-changing estimate.
'Only the basic costs' covered
The provincial news release says the disaster financial assistance is not a replacement for insurance. It would cover "only the basic costs of essential items."
"Camps, cottages, boats, automobiles and trailers are not eligible for disaster financial assistance," the release said.
The release urges residents to immediately to report damage to insurance companies, take photos of damage to their homes or properties, keep receipts of any repairs and replacement purchases and log the number of hours it takes for residents who are cleaning their own properties, or family members or those who have assisted in the cleanup of their property.
The release said at the peak of the storm, about 17 bridges and roads were closed. As of 5 p.m. Sunday only three roads remained closed.
The release said the province shares the costs of this program with the federal government.
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