P.E.I. woman frustrated her Fiona disaster relief application is still in limbo

Cheryl Dalziel's property in the Rustico area was hit hard by post-tropical storm Fiona, and she's frustrated with how long it's taking to get financial help.

Ten months after the storm, Dalziel said she is still waiting for compensation from the Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program, or PDFAP.

According to P.E.I.'s government website, the program is intended to help repair or replace uninsurable, essential basic property lost or damaged as a result of a sudden disaster. 

Dalziel is hoping to get about $5,000 to help pay for tree cleanup, stump removal and lawn repair. 

She said about 25 trees came down on her property, and that ended up tearing up the lawn all around her house. 

Her chimney was also damaged but she said she's focused on the lawn for now, which she feels is dangerous with so many holes and ruts. 

"It's stressful. Every time I look outside or walk outside ... I can't get the grounds looking decent," said Dalziel.

Dalziel originally applied for the financial relief in January, but had to wait until April to get photos and estimates. Three months after sending those in, she's still waiting.

"It's still saying that I'm under review," she said of her application.

She has already spent $2,000 on some work and is waiting for another contractor to do more. 

"I feel like I'm living with Fiona, over and over and over," she said.

Hundreds of applications processed

Provincial officials say 614 applications have been approved through PDFAP for residential, small business, and non-profit streams for a total of $2.9 million in payments. 

Officials said 3,000 applications were submitted in all, but that includes those that were approved, withdrawn, determined to be duplicates or otherwise ineligible. 

A spokesperson told CBC News via email that "850 applications are currently under review." 

Robert Henderson, the Liberal MLA for O'Leary-Inverness, said he has been getting calls from residents concerned about not getting assistance money.

He said the Canadian Red Cross received $1.5 million to administer the program, and he'd like to see money in the hands of Islanders faster.

"That seems like a pretty slow process for the money," said Henderson. "I think government could have administered this itself a lot quicker, through our Access [P.E.I.] centres."

Red Cross working 'as quickly as we can'

Dan Bedell, communications director for the Red Cross in the Atlantic region, said it's important that all the required supporting documents are submitted with applications.

When complete applications for eligible work are received, he said payments can usually happen in a matter of weeks. 

Bedell said the system is running smoothly and the organization is processing claims every day. 

"Typically the turnaround time is not all that long, unless there are a few complicating factors," he said. "We are processing them as quickly as we can." 

He said no two cases are alike within the program, so it's hard to generalize. 

"Everyone had a different kind of damage, or different costs, or different work that needed to be done. All of it needs to be documented and reviewed," said Bedell. 

He said he knows the paperwork isn't fun for people. 

Other disasters not slowing down Fiona relief 

As for Dalziel, she was worried that other more recent disasters across the country were getting more attention, and that people on P.E.I. were being left in limbo while the Red Cross delivered relief to wildfire victims, for example. 

"We're still dealing with Fiona here," she pointed out.  

But Bedell said there is a dedicated Red Cross team working on relief programs for Fiona and wildfire relief is not getting in the way. 

"We are committed to delivering this program on behalf of the P.E.I. government," he said.

Bedell said one of the biggest delays so far has been the shortage of tradespeople to do the work on properties and provide the required receipts. 

Previously, the province had set a deadline of Sept. 30, 2023, to get all required documentation in for the program. That's exactly one year after Fiona touched down.