City of Regina may look to province for help after September floods

WATCH: The City of Regina is planning to apply for provincial disaster assistance funding over a major rainstorm in September.

The City of Regina could be looking to the province to help residents who saw their homes damaged by flooding in mid-September.

Outlined in the agenda for council’s Oct. 8 meeting, city administration recommends the city apply to the provincial disaster assistance program. If deemed eligible, this would allow residents to access supports following widespread flooding across the city on Sept. 13.

During the thunderstorm, several major routes such as the Ross Street underpass and the Victoria Avenue Service Road had to be closed, as the city’s stormwater system could not keep up with the deluge.

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Regina received approximately 50 millimeters of rain on Sept. 13. The City of Regina confirmed that no wastewater was released into Wascana Lake during that time, noting that previously released information was inaccurate.

“Although flow rates reached high levels and the city’s warning alarms indicated a bypass may be imminent, the wastewater system maintained sufficient capacity for the full duration of the storm,” the City of Regina said in a news release on Sept. 17.

According to the city, Service Regina received 124 service requests related to flooded homes due to the excessive rainfall.

If the motion is approved by council, those whose principal residence was damaged during the storms will be able to apply for funding for uninsurable losses. Some of the items eligible to be covered by the program include:

• Furnaces and hot water heaters, including inspections, cleaning or repairs
• Carpeting and underlay
• Drywall, wall board, insulation and vapor barrier
• Sewer, water and utility hookups
• Cleanup of debris and;
• Mold remediation in “exceptional circumstances”

The program is meant to offset the cost of repairs that are deemed essential to restore the home to its pre-disaster condition. Non-essential repairs and upgrades are not covered.

The city has previously applied to the program. According to the agenda, Regina’s city council approved a similar appeal on Aug. 16, 2023 after heavy rainfall damaged homes from June 2-7.