Talking the Flood

Calgarians impacted by June flooding gathered in the community of Sunnyside Aug. 5 for a flood recovery information session organized by the City.

After the scale of damage caused by flooding throughout southern Alberta, the provincial government appointed an advisory panel on community flood mitigation to provide direct input on the latest flood prevention technology from around the world. A bulletin from the Alberta government stated flood mitigation measures in the interim have been established and revised through "consultation with municipalities, industry and owners to provide minimum impact to the building structure and systems."

"We definitely want to see some changes in the provincial building code," said Heather Mack with the Insurance Bureau, one of the organizations on hand at the meeting.

In order to satisfy conditions for the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) implemented by the provincial government, homeowners and small businesses in flood fringe areas must take minimum flood mitigation measures such as moisture resistant flooring in basements, relocation of main electrical panels and sealing piping, wiring and conduit penetrations at basement walls.

"If you don't access DRP funding, it won't go on title," said Melissa Bags, executive director and recovery co-ordinator with the Government of Alberta.

Those with flood damage who are in the midst of renovating and reconstruction don't need to get a permit said Ross McDougall with the City, but he does recommend it.

"I have been recommending everyone get a permit," he said.

For people hiring contractors for renovation and reconstruction of flood-damaged homes, the City recommends they do their research before making a hiring decision. Homeowners seeking help should get the business or trade name of the company, the owners name and the business address and phone number before calling 311 to confirm the contractor holds a valid business license
as well as calling the Better Business Bureau at 403-517-4222.

For those concerned with their 2014 property assessment, the City will be working to identify "the impact of the flood to property and business owners and ensure our 2014 assessment values will reflect information from building permits and other sources of data."

Additional sessions are planned in other locations around the city in coming weeks. For more information visit www.calgary.ca/floodrecovery.

Tagged: Calgary Floods | Calgary Real Estate | Calgary Real Estate News | City of Calgary | Government of Alberta