Township seeks disaster assistance following “macro-burst”

The Township of Greater Madawaska is awaiting word from Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing about whether or not it will receive disaster relief assistance following a macro-burst that felled hundreds of trees, caused widespread property damage and temporarily knocked out power.

The Calabogie area of Greater Madawaska Township experienced major windstorm damage on July 23. The township is reported to be seeking approximately $2 million in disaster relief – about $1.3 million for private property (an estimated 40 homes and cottages were heavily damaged) and $700,000 for public property.

The township had an Aug. 13 deadline to submit an estimate of total damages. The province will make a determination on amount, although this will depend on what is not covered under personal insurance.

In an Aug. 6 meeting for property owners affected by the macro-burst, a ministry representative described two separate components – municipal and private – of the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program, meant to aid municipalities in rebuilding public infrastructure.

To qualify for the municipal component, the municipal affairs and housing minister must declare a disaster zone, and costs must exceed $143,000.

“At this time, we anticipate that these criteria will be met and are hopeful that an application for assistance will be considered by the minister,” notes a township update issued on Aug. 6. In addition to the severe storm, “the summer of 2012 will be remembered as the worst risk of drought and major forest fire our township has ever experienced.”