A week after West Kelowna and Kelowna were hit by flooding, regional emergency officials are asking the province to declare a disaster so residents can be compensated for tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
The area was in a state of emergency after a dike along McDougall Creek was breached on April 25, leading to the evacuation of six properties.
Since then, the damage to Doug Grant and Onderia Robie's home has been estimated at around $80,000. Insurance won't cover the repair costs and the family worries they'll be stuck paying the entire bill.
"The government first has to say, ‘Yes it is a disaster,' and then go from there. We've also put in our own application, but it won't even be looked at until the government decides, yes or no, [if] this is a disaster area," Robie told CTV News.
Their basement had to be gutted after water blasted through a steel door and into the house, affecting almost every room. Walls had to be torn out and the carpet ripped up in one upstairs bedroom and the main-floor bathroom will need to be completely redone.
Local emergency officials have asked the province repeatedly to declare a disaster to benefit several property owners in the area, and Mayor Doug Findlater says he's had daily contact with local Liberal MLA Ben Stewart about the issue.
"I am lobbying," Findlater said. "Often, you have to make your voice heard and I know our MLA feels the same way, that he'd like this done. He's heard from the residents as well, so we have to get the attention of the minister. "
The Disaster Financial Assistance Program says people affected by overland flooding can be "eligible" for help.
"Disaster financial assistance is declared based upon information provided by local authorities, so we look to information from them on the impact of the scope, scale that affect their community," said the program's David Curtis.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
