Victims of the May flooding disaster who haven’t filed their claims yet are rushing to do so before the final deadline on Oct. 31.
The Disaster Relief Committee held another workshop for victims of the May 28th flooding at the Royal Canadian Legion Slovak on Tuesday. With only one more day to go before the committee stops taking in claims, hundreds of residents have started to file throughout the month in order to meet the deadline on Halloween.
Program Manager Kari Chiappetta said in the past month they have had 150 people come in to file claims but the committee started to get busier closer to the deadline. She said they had 70 people come in the past two days alone.
“What we’ve seen over the past two days is quadruple of what we’ve seen in the past four months,” Chiappetta said. “This week is really, really busy. People are realizing that the deadline is Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. so they are coming into the office fast and furious.”
Chiappetta said if residents miss that deadline then their claim will not be considered.
The process to file a claim is overwhelming so some people may have put it off right until the last minute, she said. That’s why the committee set up the workshops so residents could get some help in making their claims.
Once all the claims are in, Chiappetta added the committee will shift gears to fundraising while she works on managing the paperwork.
Shannon Murray said she appreciated the help being offered at the workshop.
Murray had lived in a basement apartment when it flooded but was out of town. She said the flood destroyed all her possessions including her bridesmaid dress that she kept from her brother’s wedding.
“Pretty much everything that I accumulated in the 25 years of my life was destroyed,” Murray said. “I’m part-time staying with my parents right now. They ripped everything out from the basement and the house started to crack. I’m kind of sick of living with my parents. As great as it is, it’s nice to be on my own.”
Being the second last day before the deadline, Murray admitted that she procrastinated in filing her claim.
But she wasn’t the only one.
Joan Donaldson also said she procrastinated and in hindsight should have come earlier. She thought she could figure out the paperwork herself but decided to seek assistance from the Disaster Committee.
Donaldson also lived in a basement apartment and much of her possessions were also destroyed.
“It didn’t bother me too much when it happened because there are people who are a lot worse off than me,” Donaldson said. “But when you’re restricted to living in one small space…I’m starting to feel claustrophobic. I really like my landlady we’re really good friends but still it would be nice to have my own place back.”
