PEACE RIVER, Alta.- It’s been called the forgotten flood.
Just before southern Manitoba made headlines with its Flood of the Century, the Heart River sneaked into this northern Alberta town while most people slept.
The water left soon after it entered the town, but not before covering everything in its path with a film of mud and causing millions of dollars in damage.
Because there was no warning, businesses didn’t have time to move things to higher ground. And that’s what they say is the difference between their flood and Manitoba’s.
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“I wrote to the prime minister and said we’re just being forgotten in the Manitoba situation,” said Peace River mayor Michael Proctor. “It’s so damned difficult to get anyone moving. I said please don’t forget us in our time of need.”
Almost 100 homes, businesses, churches and community groups have filed for disaster assistance.
With even a few hours notice, Chris Blake could have moved hundreds of books, cassettes and compact discs out of harm’s way. Instead, when she was let into the building she saw “total destruction,” in her Music City/Book World store in the Riverdrive Mall.
The power of the five-foot wall of water pushed over book and music shelves leaving a soggy mess and a $400,000 bill.
“We couldn’t go to our store to save anything,” said Blake.
Three weeks later she has moved to higher ground and is trying to rebuild. But along with the computers lost in the flood were all the book and music orders, pricing and inventory lists. What’s in the new store is from orders sent weeks before the flood.
She’s also wondering how she’s going to pay for everything. “We lost $400,000 worth of stuff so it’s really hard to accept $100,000, the maximum claim in the disaster program.
Tony Sonnleitner has reopened his Sears catalogue store, dollar store and lottery ticket centre and gift shop on higher ground.
There was a moment when he couldn’t face rebuilding and reopening. But he looked around and decided he liked being in business and he had seven staff depending on him for a living.
Responsibility to others
“They’ve been giving me a reason to show up,” said Sonnleitner.
The day after the flood he and the staff moved into an old bakery. They spent three days scraping grease off the walls, painting the interior and taking catalogue orders.
“The next couple of days were bad. I threw $91,000 worth of stuff away.”
Almost anything touched by the flood has to be taken to the dump because of worries about disease caused by river water.
Sonnleitner thinks he will be eligible for the $100,000 disaster funding. Until then he’ll pay his staff and buy his paint on credit card advances.
Marion and Harold Buckley might not be so lucky. To be eligible for disaster assistance, a person must receive more than 50 percent of his income from the business.
Buckley owns 25 percent of the Met building and 50 percent of the Saan building and isn’t eligible for coverage to help him cover the $400,000 in damage.
When Buckley retired from the oil business he invested his retirement money in the two buildings in his home town.
“Everything I have is in those businesses. I’m hoping the Alberta government will do something to alter the rules of the disaster program,” he said.
In the meantime he has taken out two $50,000 loans to gut and rebuild the businesses.
MLA Gary Friedel said he’s more optimistic there may be changes to the ownership rule than raising the $100,000 cap. The provincial government has requested the federal government change the rules for small businesses.
“The ball is in the federal government’s court to see if they’ll consider changing the rules,” he said from his Peace River office.
