July 28, 2016 – The Alberta government will provide an advance of $87.5 million to help the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo recover from devastating wildfires.
This initial advance of Disaster Recovery Program funding is intended to help with uninsurable costs such as emergency response, evacuation, cleanup of damaged areas and public spaces and repairs to public infrastructure damaged by the wildfire.
“Our government promised to stand with the people of Fort McMurray in the months and years after this devastating fire, to support the region as it recovers and rebuilds,” said Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “This advance on disaster recovery funds is part of that promise and will ensure the municipality can keep moving forward to clean up and rebuild, without having to carry a heavy financial burden.”
The municipality estimates its response costs to be about $175 million. This advance will cover about half of those costs.
“We thank the Alberta government for its commitment to our region as we recover together as a community,” said Melissa Blake, Mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. “The Alberta government has been with us every step of the way during what is the biggest challenge in our region’s history and we look forward to continued support that is much needed for our residents.”
Disaster recovery programs provide financial assistance for municipalities that incur uninsurable loss and damage as a result of disasters.
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