MORRIS, Man. – Losing one’s home is bad enough, but for farmers in the Red River Valley the situation will be much worse.
“Not only is your home damaged but your livelihood too. Now that is bad,” said Lorie Peters, a Grande Point, Man. farmer. She and husband Vern pumped water away from their dairy barn as their driveway flooded over.
“We’ll be OK, but there are many south of here that won’t,” she said.
Compensation is a difficult subject for farmers to consider now. They must first finish defending their farms from the flood, begin cleanup and see if they can actually plant a crop before they contemplate compensation.
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“I doubt that I’ll be getting any money for my losses, but I sure am open to a cheque from the government,” said Emerson area farmer Dennis Wahl, regarding his lost 300 hogs.
Lloyd Axworthy, a Winnipeg MP and federal foreign affairs minister, said major changes are necessary to prevent this type of flooding in the future. New federal-provincial policies will provide compensation for communities working to that end along with offering help for flooded farmers.
The deal provides for a one-time compensation for farmers unable to plant a crop this season because of flooded land, said Manitoba provincial cabinet secretary Don Leitch.
Flood compensation will be available for farmers who hadn’t insured for unseeded acres. Leitch said the payments will likely be slightly less than that of crop insurance payments.
Upon review of compensation levels in place prior to last week, the Manitoba provincial government increased its claim settlement limit from $30,000 to $100,000 for flood damage. The settlements are subject to a 20 percent deductible paid by the property owner.
Moving and storage costs for evacuees are covered through provincial assistance. That includes the cost of moving livestock out of harm’s way. Personal property damaged by flood waters is covered by the Disaster Assistance Program and that includes farm buildings and equipment. Replacement is based on a depreciated value rather than replacement of new items.
Compensation must be applied for through rural or urban municipal governments. An inspection of damaged items will be done by Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization adjusters.
