There is still help out there for Abbotsford’s small businesses and not-for-profit organizations directly affected by last November’s flooding.
Earlier this year, Red Cross extended their ‘Support to Small Businesses and Not-for-Profits Program’ which is designed to help with recovery after a disaster. The deadline to apply is now Nov. 30, and everyone is encouraged to apply said Elysia Dempsey, the Canadian Red Cross senior director of emergency management program for BC & Yukon.
The programs gives $5,000 of financial assistance from the Canadian Red Cross, and eligibility is decided on by a number of factors. The details are all published on redcross.ca, under How We Help.
“I would hate to find out there was someone out there who doesn’t know about this,” Dempsey said.
Applications are done online, along with the criteria and a list of frequently asked questions.
There are still many households, businesses and not-for-profits who are are in varying degrees of recovery, Dempsey said. They are currently helping more than 200 households through the process of rebuilding their homes, lives and businesses.
For some, she said, it’s a matter of helping as things pop up. For others, it’s as if the floods happened yesterday. There are still people in temporary shelter who are very much in the same situation as they were immediately following the flood.
“Each household and each business is completely different,” she said.
As the one-year mark passes, they are looking at long-term recovery assistance more than that the initial emergent needs of food, clothing and shelter. But the needs are still there, Dempsey said.
While some people in the Sumas Prairie had resources available when the flooding happened, others may have already been dealing with other issues.
“You will find some people who have pretty much rebuilt and moved on, and others who are still living in temporary housing,” she said. “Some will have had their needs met right away, particularly those with insurance … and there are others who might have a lot of trauma and shock, and it will look different and take a lot longer.”
Red Cross response workers all have psychological first aid training, and support those affected by the disasters they attend. In addition to the flooding in Abbotsford, 2021 was a particularly bad year for forest fires in B.C., and some people have even experienced multiple emergency situations in their regions, compounding their trauma.
If you need support with long-term flood recovery, reach out to the Canadian Red Cross by calling the call centre at 1-833-966-4225, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PT) or by emailing BCSmallBizSupport@redcross.ca.
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