City applying for disaster recovery funding to support residents affected by July tornado

Medicine Hat – The City of Medicine Hat is submitting an application to the Government of Alberta’s Disaster Recovery Program (DRP). This may provide an opportunity for residents and property owners to seek financial relief for uninsurable losses if they experienced damage from the tornado on July 18.

Following a disaster, affected municipalities can apply to the DRP program and, if the municipal application is approved, affected residents can apply to the Province for financial assistance.

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA), who administers the DRP, has asked for the City’s assistance in collecting data. Affected property owners are asked to fill out a Property Damage Survey to provide the following information:

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Description of damage
• 1-2 photos if available

Fill out the Property Damage Survey

The information collected will be shared with the Government of Alberta and residents who complete the form may be contacted by an AEMA case worker to further discuss whether they may be eligible for funding under the Disaster Recovery Program.

“The City is conducting this information-gathering exercise on behalf of the AEMA but does not have any bearing on the decisions about funding for individual properties under the DRP,” says Merrick Brown, the City’s Director of Emergency Management.

Residents who have not already done so are advised to contact their insurance provider in relation to any damage or loss they have suffered as a result of the July 18 extraordinary and severe weather event.

On July 18, a severe thunderstorm with damaging winds moved through Cypress County,  knocking out power to more than 7,600 customers in Medicine Hat, Redcliff and rural areas. Environment and Climate Change Canada has since confirmed a tornado touched down in Cypress County about 10 kilometres south of Redcliff near Highway 523 at approximately 1:10 p.m. with a rating of EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and wind speeds of up to 190 km/h. The tornado was followed by a downburst – a strong downward and outward wind system – rated at EF-1 with winds up to 150 km/h, affecting Redcliff and Medicine Hat.

Information and updates on the application process are available on the City’s website at medicinehat.ca/tornado.

More information about the Alberta Government’s Disaster Recovery Program (DRP), including the types of disasters covered by the program, is available online at https://www.alberta.ca/disaster-recovery-programs.aspx.  Residents affected by the winds are encouraged to review the ‘Homeowner and residential tenants’ fact sheet for details about qualifying for the DRP.

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For media inquiries, please contact:
media@medicinehat.ca

or

Alberta Emergency Management Agency
1-888-671-1111
drp.info@gov.ab.ca