A Nova Scotia MP said he was disappointed his area didn’t get disaster relief funding from the feds.
Hants and Kings MP Kody Blois said the Municipality of the County of Kings applied twice to get funding from the feds through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.
But the county was denied, which disappointed Blois.
He said that it’s highly competitive to get funding, but it wouldn’t have been able to prevent the flooding that happened Thursday.
“But I think maybe now, sadly, with what has happened in Halls Harbour, this is going to be the nexus, that we’re able to actually get three levels of government to come together to rebuild that infrastructure that’s vital for the community, but also for tourism in the province and for the fisheries,” said Blois.
Parts of Annapolis Valley and surrounding areas were hit with intense rain Thursday night, more than 100 millimetres, as the remnants of hurricane Beryl swept the region.
This lead to flash floods, which took the life of a boy in Wolfville after he was pulled into a ditch and disappeared in rushing water.
Blois said it’s terrible that for the second summer in a row, someone has died during a flash flood.
“These events are having tragic consequences in our community,” he said.
But frequent rain like this could happen more often.
“Sadly, this seems to be our new normal, doesn’t it? You’re going to have significant types of rainfall events in short periods of time.”
To deal with this, Blois said it’s important when we build new infrastructure to consider these types of events, which could happen more frequently, and when we maintain the existing infrastructure that people are “cognizant of ways that we can reduce flooding.”
He said the province could trigger the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement (DFAA), which prompts the feds to give provinces money to help with disaster relief.
According to the government, that arrangement has given provinces $9 billion in post-disaster funds since 1970.
But Blois said, more broadly, the federal government will be there to help people rebuild after these floods, this time considering how infrastructure could handle the next 50 years of increased storms.
Internet and cell service
Blois said the more people can be connected online, the more they can share information. That would help people prepare in case of emergencies.
He said he used to get more calls about internet connection issues, but “there’s still a concern around cellular reception,” he said.
“I think that’s the new frontier, that all levels of government, particularly provincial and federal, need to be thinking of engaging with the telecoms,” he said.
He wouldn’t comment on the efficacy of the province’s emergency alert system because the alert system is managed by the province, so he felt he didn’t have enough information to weigh in.
Blois added that he’s already been in touch with Central Nova MP Sean Fraser on improving the disaster mitigation of Kings and Hants counties beyond the DFAA.
But there are lots of projects that need similar support.
“We could name a dozen on our hands, very quickly, across the country that are significant big ticket items that are in the public interest. So I don’t have a perfect answer for it. But my commitment is to work and fight for that community to try to get federal assistance as part of the longer term rebuild in Halls Harbour.”
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