Thanksgiving storm leaves $7M municipal repair bill

The remnants of Hurricane Matthew resulted in millions of dollars indamages in Newfoundland and Labrador and 145 claims under the province's disaster assistance program.

The claims come from a mix of residents, small businesses and not-for-profits. The total estimated damages to municipal infrastructure add up to around $7 million.

• More than $1.5M repair bill for accidents, road washouts, states of emergency

• Hydro to spend millions on emergency repair work

Eddie Joyce, minister of municipal affairs, stood in the House of Assembly on Monday to thank people for their actionsduring the October storm.

"I want to acknowledge the hard work of all municipalities, first responders, employees, town councils and the RCMP for their efforts," he said. "Our government will continue to work with all levels of government, organizations and homeowners in the recovery phase of this storm."

Joyce said the disasterhighlighted the province's growing ability to respond quickly and effectively during an emergency.

The central and southern regions of the province were hammered with rain on Oct. 10, with 263 millimetres of rain hitting Burgeo.

Road washouts were reported in at least 10 towns, with places such asSt. Alban's, Morrisville and Burgeo being totally cut off from road access. The Trans-Canada Highway was closed due to a washout at Terra Nova National Park until late on Oct. 12.

The province has worked closely with the federal government to roll out the financial assistance program as quickly as possible, Joycesaid.

All claims are currently being processed by the disaster financial assistance division.