Help on the way for St. Lazare flood victim
by Kevin Weedmark
Within a week of his story hitting the front page of the World-Spectator, Fabien Leclair says it looks like the help he was denied is now on the way.
Last week we reported that some St. Lazare residents were not getting the help they needed to recover from the 2011 spring flood and that one, Fabien Leclair, has resorted to sleeping in his car.
He had been cut off emergency benefits that paid for temporary accommodations, and was told his five-bedroom home was not eligible for compensation because it was built on a foundation that included railroad ties when it was constructed 45 years ago.
“The government called me yesterday and said they would help with my benefits,” Leclair said Friday. “I talked to the lady yesterday. She said ‘something’s coming—we just have to decide how much.’ They’re going to start looking at the house now, so that’s a plus. Maybe that’s all they needed was a little bit of a nudge.”
In addition to the government taking a new look at his case, Leclair said the Red Cross said they would see what they could do to help him out.
“I heard from the Red Cross in Winnipeg,” Leclair said. “They called me and said if I need food money they can help me. I told them, as far as food wise, I got a lot of help, but I need some help with the house. They said they will look at my situation, they will look at the house and see what kind of help they can give me. They said there are some businesses that help them with things like that when they need it and they will come out and take a look at my house and see what they can do.”
The government last week offered to pay for motel accommodations for Leclair, but he was worried about his pets and decided to stay where he is.
“I said I don’t need to go to the motel, but I need some help with the hydro because I’m trying to heat this trailer or the car. They said they would do something.
“The Red Cross said they could help me with my home. They said they get donations from different companies to help out people in situations like mine.
“Once the hydro is aside, I want to restore the house. I want to salvage one part and add on.
“I just want to demolish the part with the basement. I’ll never ever have a house with a basement again. If I can end up with a one bedroom house out of this mess I’ll be happy.
“The government said they would look at my house again, and the Red Cross said they would help, so I think it’s going to be okay.”
The head of Manitoba’s Emergency Measures Organization has one piece of advice for Fabien Leclair and other St. Lazare flood victims: File an appeal.
“My advice is work with the folks who are there to help him and, should he decide to appeal, absolutely do so,” Chuck Sanderson, executive director of Manitoba EMO told the World-Spectator in an interview Thursday.
“Our advice to this person is go ahead and appeal. We’ll help him appeal. That’s our job, to let people know how to appeal.
“I would tell everyone work with their DFA (disaster financial assistance) person. They will help you create your own plan that’s best for you,” Sanderson said.
The head of Emergency Measures said officials spoke with Leclair Thursday to try to meet his immediate needs.
“Other options were presented to him. He was offered accommodations, and was shown the route into other government programs that can assist him. He was advised of all the options he’s got,” Sanderson said.
The World-Spectator article on the lack of help for St. Lazare residents was reprinted in the Winnipeg Free Press and the Brandon Sun, which led to more media interest in the story.
“CTV came with the cameras, CBC English, CBC French, and a guy from CBC Toronto wants me to do a national interview,” Leclair said.
While Leclair said he was afraid to appeal his settlement because he thought the government might take back some of the help he has been given, Sanderson said that wouldn’t happen.
“What he got he is definitely entitled to, and if he wants to appeal his compensation we encourage him to do that,” said Sanderson.
“This flood has brought to light several layers of issues for people. Disaster financial assistance is one of the layers. Disaster financial assistance is for damages to property. It puts property back in the condition it was in before the flood. It can’t deal with issues before the flood. It replaces basic possessions if they have been damaged, but not luxury items.
“Sometimes we run into a lot of issues in these cases. There may have been existing issues with a house, and then you add a flood on top of it.
“Sometimes, depending on how able the person is to handle the pressure and the stress things aren’t done correctly. Nobody ever wants anybody living in a car. But there are times when people, because of the complexity and stress of what they’re dealing with, either don’t take the advice they’re given or don’t follow the right route.”
While Leclair said he was told he would have to leave the motel where he was staying because the cost of his lodging had exceeded the value of his claim, Sanderson said emergency aid such as temporary housing is separate from compensation for damage to property or goods.
“They’re not connected in any way,” he said.
While some people in St. Lazare say different individuals have been treated differently, Sanderson said a strength of the program is that it is flexible and deals with different individuals in different ways.
“It’ll be different for different people depending on their circumstance,” he said. “If a person has received their assistance and they’ve been given certain moneys to go back into their home, at a certain point, the program will say you’ve been given the assistance.
“I’m glad that the DFA program doesn’t just deal with everyone the same.”
While many claims are unsettled after several months, Sanderson said that’s to be expected.
“When something happens to somebody, you can’t calculate it the day after,” he said. “For some people it will take more than a year. The question is what was the damage, and what needs to be done to fix it. Say the weather is doing such that you can’t even repair the damage.”
Sanderson said Emergency Measures has paid out 25 per cent of the 4,100 individual files from the spring flooding.
For damage to a home, there is a cap of $200,000, and contents are assessed separately outside the cap.
“It can get complicated,” Sanderson said. “Many farmers will have a farm claim, a house claim, and a business claim.”
Sanderson believes the program works relatively well. “I’ve been the EMO director for 10 years, and I think Manitoba has a tremendous program,” he said. “It’s not the solver of all evils, but if you look at Minot and you see the kind of assistance people get in the U.S. and compare that with the DFA you will be surprised.”
He said employees have been busy but not overwhelmed with the volume of claims.
“4,100 is the highest number we’ve ever had from one event,” he said. “This flood was so widespread, it hit so many area, and the 2011 flood is one of 11 disasters DFA has responded to in the last three years.
“It wasn’t overwhelming, though. We had geared up. We knew this could be bad. We were ready to go.”
