Monteregie: Red Cross enhancing assistance program for those affected by flooding

In order to make it available to a greater number of families impacted by the April 2011 floods in the Montérégie, the Red Cross is enhancing its assistance program for those affected by the disaster. The criteria for eligibility to the program have been broadened to help homeowners whose principal residence has sustained damage to more than 60% of the home. For certain families who have already received Red Cross support, benefits will also be increased.

 

"From the outset of the recovery phase, we have been in the field to help these people. Our responsibility was to guide them through the recovery process and effectively manage the funds that were intended entirely for them. One year later, we are still helping them and we have ensured that the financial resources were available when it came time for impacted families to decide whether they would repair or rebuild their home or if they had to abandon it all and rebuild elsewhere", said Michel Léveillé, General Manager of the Red Cross in Québec.

 

The progressive allocation of aid, at the pace required by families as they made decisions regarding the work to be done, now enables the Red Cross to increase the amount of available aid and to fill the gaps in cases where financial capability was greatly affected by the disaster. In this way, more people will have access to Red Cross support which is intended for those families who are most vulnerable.

 

The enhanced Red Cross Recovery and Reconstruction Assistance Program, which has the approval of the Regional Advisory Committee, is intended mainly for the following groups: