powered by:
valneva canada inc.
montreal flood victims urged to file compensation claims by 15-day deadline
thousands are still trying to contact insurance providers and line up contractors and tradespeople.
aug 22 2024
8 minute read
we apologize, but this video has failed to load.
try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
the mayor of dorval is urging the estimated 400 residents of his city — as well as the thousands of others across the island and province — whose homes were flooded when torrential rains fell on aug. 9 to file a compensation claim with their municipalities by this saturday’s deadline.
“for residents to be able to get on this program, they have to file a claim within 15 days (of the flooding), so we are encouraging people to make their claims to the city as quickly as possible,” dorval mayor marc doret said in an interview on wednesday.
while most quebecers have put that crazy rainstorm — a remnant of tropical storm debby — behind them, thousands are still trying to contact insurance providers and line up contractors and tradespeople, and generally grapple with the aftermath. the aug. 9 storm dumped about 157 millimetres of rain on dorval, for example, most of it between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. the deluge quickly overwhelmed the sewer system and many basements were flooded.
“the water table is very high in dorval and dorval is essentially at the same level as the lake, so that causes an infrastructure challenge as well. lots of water fell extremely quickly,” doret said.
the damage was extensive for many, he said.
advertisement
advertisement
“in general, most people do not have the (insurance) coverage that is required to recover from this and so many are turning to the city, and we have been encouraging residents to make claims to the city this week. the provincial government has a program where some residents qualify for support in flood damage … it covers basically nothing that would help our residents. now it seems it’s been expanded to cover rivers that overflowed, but in dorval, most rivers are underground.”
he said dorval has recently been added to the list of municipalities that the provincial government will consider compensating for damages incurred by the freak storm.
most municipalities require residents who wish to make a claim for damages they think are the municipality’s fault to do so within 15 days of the event, which means the deadline for the aug. 9 event would be saturday.
flood victims who hope to qualify for the provincial government’s general financial assistance program regarding disasters , which may compensate for damages not covered by insurance, should apply within three months of the flood. late applications will be accepted up to one year after in the government signed the order making their region eligible for the program. this date differs from region to region, as the government recently enlarged the program regarding the aug. 9 storm. for those in montreal for example, the deadline to apply for financial assistance will be aug. 12, 2025, while for those in dorval, it will be aug. 21, 2025.
advertisement
advertisement
flood victims should inform their municipality and their insurance provider immediately when they are affected by flooding, doret stressed, not only to make a claim for compensation but to receive help and information about coping after a flood.
on tuesday, 11 days after the deluge, evidence of the flooding in western dorval was not hard to find. lawns on several streets near the lakeshore — touzin, lagacé and vinet aves. — were littered with ruined furniture, piles of wood, toilets, frames and ruined shelving units. doret said city garbage crews have been passing almost every day since the deluge, and that will continue for another 10 days.
the rain keeps coming, so some residents have rented tempos or erected tents and tarps in their front and backyards to protect possessions they have no room for or that need drying out.
kelly faubert, who lives on vinet ave., was on vacation when her basement flooded, but neighbours with a key went in and told her the water was knee-deep. by the time she and her family got home the next day, the water had drained, leaving her basement in ruins.
“we emptied every single thing that was in the basement and threw out anything that had taken in water … ikea furniture … all the toys … all that had to go. all the bedding. all the beds. the washing machine, dryer, and the fridge died … basically we lost everything in the basement. we did an online insurance claim, but i still haven’t heard from them.”
advertisement
advertisement
she did learn from an emergency insurance employee that it was important to remove wet flooring and cut away the drywall two feet from the floor within 48 hours of infiltration.
“by the time we got to cutting the gyprock, there was already mould on it.”
faubert is an emergency veterinarian, and her clinic flooded, so there is also chaos at her workplace. her three young children normally go to an in-home daycare in dorval, which had to close because of the flooding, so she takes them to her parents’ house when she and her husband go to work.
still, she feels lucky compared to neighbours who had raw sewage in their basements or reverse-slanted driveways that let in more water.
on lagacé ave., marc traversy and natalye bertrand have managed to empty their basement of all furniture and appliances and possessions, and pull up the flooring and cut the drywall themselves.
most of the water came in from the basement shower, bertrand said, and the family barely had time to grab their most important souvenirs before the water was a foot and a half deep.
“rookie mistake, we had put all of our old family photos at the bottom of the bookshelf. it’s the first time we’ve ever had a flood, so we didn’t know,” traversy said.
advertisement
advertisement
the couple had to spend hours gently pulling damp photos out of albums and hanging them up with clothes pins on string around the house to dry them. now they have moved on to trying to save their sons’ hockey card collection in the same way.
the basement was an integral part of their house, with a bathroom, bedroom, family room, pantry, workshop, office and home gym. traversy is doing as much of the demolition work as he can himself, despite the fact that he is an elementary school teacher who is also preparing to go back to work on friday.
marc traversy gathers demolition debris from his dorval basement while cleaning up after flooding caused by the remnants of tropical storm debby aug. 20, 2024.
john mahoney
/
montreal gazette
“i could have hired it out, but if they charge $10,000 to demolish, then that’s coming out of my $53,000” of maximum insurance coverage.
“we have a friend who was quoted $37,500 for demolition and sanitization, so that doesn’t even cover (rebuilding) a bathroom,” bertrand said.
meanwhile, their neighbour suzanne o’hara has only recently managed to get most of her possessions out of her damaged basement.
“i’m 72 years old, and i did the best i can,” she said.
on wednesday afternoon, she was sitting outside on a lawn chair waiting for a contractor to come by to give her a cost estimate for removing her basement flooring, where mould has begun to set in. she was surrounded by tents and tarps covering all the books, appliances, furniture, clothing and other possessions she had managed to save.
advertisement
advertisement
she is concerned about how much her insurance will cover.
“apparently, it costs about $25,000 just to repair a bathroom. imagine, i’ve got a whole basement with five rooms down there and i think i’m only going to get $30,000” from her insurance.
suzanne o’hara’s dorval living room is packed full of possessions from her basement after flooding caused by the remnants of tropical storm debby, aug. 20, 2024.
john mahoney
/
montreal gazette
she managed to make a claim, but has not been able to find out what will be covered.
“they’ve sent people here to take pictures, but they couldn’t tell me anything, either, and i couldn’t find my plan because i’m in a bit of a chaos situation.”
she was relieved when a few days after the flood, mayor doret showed up at her place and promised help. workers showed up the next day to help o’hara empty the basement and sort through what had to be trashed and what could be saved.
doret said he has been trying to get the message out that water-damaged furniture, possessions, flooring and wall materials need to be removed within 48 hours of water infiltration to avoid mould, which can be dangerous to human health. he worries some seniors living alone or those with mental health challenges may not have gotten the message. his town has a five-employee community aid department that keeps a call list of those who may require aid in case of emergency, but residents must register for that service.
advertisement
advertisement
in quebec city on wednesday, public security minister françois bonnardel said his ministry has received a total of 4,113 requests so far for aid from victims of flooding in the aftermath of tropical storm debby.
the government, he said, is in the process of informing the 194 municipalities affected by floods of the new criteria it is prepared to accept in the claim system following a pledge last week by premier françois legault to make the system “more flexibile.”
he repeated that the new rules do not absolve private insurers of fulfilling their own obligations to handle claims for sewers which backed up into basements.
“what the premier said is we will be more flexible. we will be more flexible for what we call mixed cases; a river overflow which caused a sewer to back up. if it is the case we will invite people to file their claims.”
last friday, bonnardel urged those who experienced flooding damage to submit a claim to their municipalities, even in cases where they are not sure they are admissible for the provincial disaster assistance program, known as pgaf (programme général d’assistance financière lors de sinistres), which offers “last resort” compensation for damage cause by disasters not covered by insurers.
advertisement
advertisement
“in certain cases, we understand that the causes of the disasters experienced by many citizens are multiple. this is why we will carefully analyze requests linked to mixed causes, for example river overflows leading to sewer backups. however, it is essential to remember that citizens must first turn to their private insurer, since the government program is additional assistance of last resort.”
to submit a claim to the province’s general financial assistance program regarding disasters, go to www.quebec.ca/securite-situations-urgence/urgences-sinistres-risques-naturels/obtenir-aide-sinistre or call 1-888-643-aide 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays or from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
to file a claim with the city of montreal for damages caused by the city, go to montreal.ca/en/how-to/file-claim-against-city.
an earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about the deadline for filing a claim to the province’s general financial assistance program regarding disasters. applicants should apply within three months following the start date of the program, but can submit a late application, with reason, up to one year after that start date. the gazette regrets the error.
advertisement
