Provincial government says damage assessments, money coming for Mud Lake flood victims

Nearly threemonths later and people in Mud Lake still don't have assessments of the damage caused to their homes during a massive spring flood.

But the provincial government says answers and cash are on the way.

"I understand the frustration," Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment Eddie Joyce said.

"I understand the situation that they went through."

Last week, Melissa Best, chair of the Mud Lake improvement committee, told the CBC peopleneed assessments to know how to proceed with repairs or even relocation.

She also expressed concern after hearing from provincial officials thatthe threshold for federal funding had not been met.

• Mud Lake flood victims may not be eligible for federal funding

"The situation is that if we followed the federal rules and the federal guidelines that was put in place, the amount of money would be justabove the threshold. It would be $2.6 million, the threshold is $1.6 [million]," Joyce said.

Decisions, decisions

Joyce said the provincialgovernment would have to pay 90 per cent of the money up to the threshold. So the governmentis deciding whether or not to take any money from the federal government, because it wouldn't cover things people in Mud Lake deem essential.

"Ski-doos, they wouldn't be covered. But in Mud Lake, that's their mode of transportation.So you can justify covering Ski-doos," Joyce said.

"All the information, we've finally got it all gathered. Now, in the next few days, we're going to make a decision of what will be eligible and what we will approve."

The government has received 40 applications for disaster funding to date. It saidif anyone else wants to make a claim, they have until August 17th.