Hamilton residents can apply for $1,000 grants to help cover damages from intense rainstorm
The City Council of Hamilton announced on Thursday that it is formally declaring the rainstorm that hit the area on April 20 to be a "disaster" under the criteria of the municipal disaster relief assistance program, which will allow residents to apply for grants up to a maximum of $1,000 in order to help cover the damage caused by the precipitation.
What Hamilton and its surrounding region experienced just over a week ago was shockingly and inordinately intense. According to the Hamilton Spectator, various parts of the population centre received between 50 and 75 millimetres of rain—more than what they typically get in an entire spring month.
Council's grant initiative was spearheaded by Dundas representative Arlene VanderBeek, whose constituents were hit hardest by the storm. Although exact eligibility requirements have not been released yet, residents will have 120 days to apply once they are.
These grants will play a vital role in supporting individuals and families who are without substantive flooding, sewage backup, or overland flooding coverage—features that are not generally included in standard home insurance policies. While a basic policy will often reimburse for some forms of water damage, flooding represents its own separate form of insurance.
Despite the severity of the storm, Council is currently only expecting about 100 or so applicants to require the maximum grant amount for basement flooding. The worst of the flooding reportedly occurred at the intersection of Cootes Dr. and King St. E, bolstered by runoff from the Sydenham Creek that flows nearby.