Guest post by Diana Coulter, Information Officer for the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Floods Operation
Eight months after the Alberta floods, the DeMan family home in Calgary still isn’t fully habitable, one son lives with an uncle, and their child care business is located elsewhere. The June 2013 floods may have faded from the headlines, but the DeMan family still lives with the consequences of the disaster, as do many others in southern Alberta. The Canadian Red Cross continues to provide assistance to families and communities as their needs emerge.
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DeMan family with Red Cross caseworker
Recovering from a disaster of such magnitude takes time. Recently, the Red Cross released its latest
Progress Report on the Alberta floods. The report shows that $18.8 million was spent or committed by the Red Cross on initial relief supplies, and on longer-term recovery initiatives such as financial assistance to more than 6,000 families, funding for community projects, reconstruction and repairs to homes, and emotional support for clients.
Families in need also received financial assistance during the holiday season to alleviate additional monetary stress. Flood-affected homeowners are getting help with heating and hot water systems, and funding is still available for community recovery projects and capacity building programs such as emergency preparedness initiatives.
The Alberta floods triggered the largest domestic disaster response the Canadian Red Cross has undertaken in its 104-year history, and it plans to continue working with affected people and communities for the long term. Check out this video recap of the Red Cross response:
The Red Cross encourages those who are still struggling after the floods to access the help available to all. For more information, please call the toll-free assistance at 1-866-696-6484. All calls are confidential.
As far as the DeMan family is concerned, they are finally starting to see “the light at the end of tunnel” and feeling hopeful for the first time.
“Just taking some of the financial burden off of us has been so wonderful,” says husband Keith DeMan. “The Red Cross took away some of our stress. We will always be so very grateful.”