Manitoba announces $175M flood package

The Manitobagovernment has announced$175 million for compensation and future flood protection measures.

Of that, approximately$70 million will be spent oncompensation while the rest will go towardsbuilding flood preventionmeasures, including $20 million to improve protection in Brandon and another $20 million to boost dikes along the Assiniboine River.

Residentsaffected by the deliberate breach of a dike at the Hoop and Holler Bendwill receive 100 per cent compensation fordamages and for money they spentin theeffort to protect themselves against flooding.

Evacuation costs, lost wages and property damage are included with no caps or deductibles.

The plan was announced Tuesday by Premier Greg Selinger.

"The geographical scope of this flood is beyond anything weve seen before.Families, businesses and producers through large parts of our province are pulling together to cope with the water," he said.

"I gave Manitoba families my word: they wont face this flood alone.Today were delivering with some much-needed help."

Residents around Lake Manitobawill becompensated up to 90 per cent to a maximum of $200,000 per permanent residence and $90,000 per cottage for flood damage or costs incurred to prepare for the flooding.

Those residentscan apply for compensation for the remaining10 per cent if they add permanent flood protection totheir property.

The province also says it will pay 90 per cent of the cost of raising or moving cottages along Lake Manitoba (to a maximum of $20,000) and expects about 600 buildings to be part of that effort.

Other projects that will be addressed through flood protection measures:

• Modernization of the Shellmouth Dam control structure and the addition of spillway gates to improve flood-protection capacities.
• Construction of flood protection, in consultation with the City of Brandon, up to a 1-in-300-year level.
• Major rehabilitation and modernization of the Portage Diversion river-control structure.
• Repair of and making permanent the Assiniboine River dikes built over the winter between Portage and Baie St. Paul.
• Assessment of alternatives to enhance the capacity of the Assiniboine River, Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin flood-control systems including options to increase outflow from Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin.
• Extension of the community diking program for an additional two years to build more dikes including in the Assiniboine basin.
• Expansion and extension of the provinces Individual Flood Mitigation Program to help more families and businesses protect their homes and property.