It’s been 10 months since the June flood of 2013 affected the lives of thousands throughout Southern Alberta, including members of the Stoney Nation in nearby Morley.
Now in place are three full-service interim housing sites that house flood-affected Bearspaw, Chiniki and Wesley band members who await the repair and rebuild of their homes.
“What we’ve managed to do is open all three of the interim housing sites,” explained Mark Godefroy, director for the Nation’s RMT, who added his team is currently being expanded to add more Nation members.
The government chose Outland Camps as outfitters for the interim housing sites based on services they provided in Saddlebrook (the interim site housing for flood-affected families in High River).
The wellsite units on the three respective sites are filled to around 50 per cent capacity. Each unit is equipped with amenities and Nation members are encouraged to bring only their necessities and put the remainder of their belongings in storage.
Animals are not allowed in the interim housing sites and Nation members are responsible for ensuring their pets have adequate care while residing there.
Each site has a recreational centre and a full-service dining hall.
There are 48 units on Wesley Park, located along Highway 1A, another 48 for Chiniki band members and 25 for Bearspaw; Chiniki and Bearspaw sites and located next to one another, southwest of the Morley townsite.
Once a family’s home has been assessed as flood-affected and the family is moved into one of the interim housing sites, repairs are intended for completion within seven weeks.
The cost is roughly $300 per family member per day while remaining in the interim housing sites.
The Nation has contracted Nor-Ex Ice Engineering Inc. as its recovery management team to oversee the entire flood recovery process from start to finish on all three Stoney Nation locations — Morley, Eden Valley and Big Horn.
Stantec Engineering has been contracted by the government to manage all of the Nation home assessments, followed by the development and execution of the repair schedule.
Clark Builders has been contracted by Stantec as the general contractor for flood recovery, who is in turn responsible for hiring a variety of sub trades.
Godefroy said it his team’s responsibility to “ensure the Nation’s priorities are met by the government” with respect to flood recovery.
Each reported Nation home has to undergo a series of individual assessments, slated for completion by mid-July.
So far, 535 assessments have been conducted in Morley, of which 297 have been confirmed as flood-affected.
A total of 387 homes in Morley remain to be inspected.
The assessments are complete on the Nation’s more remote locations of Big Horn and Eden Valley.
Of 44 assessments conducted in Big Horn, 16 have been established as flood-affected. Of 108 assessments done in Eden Valley, 72 have been deemed flood-affected.
The recovery is in its second phase, where all Nation homes assessed as flood-affected are to be scheduled for repairs, in accordance with Alberta Building Code standards.
Godefroy said there have been some discrepancies and delays in moving forward, as the province is only committed to repairing damages that can be attributed to the flood and not pre-existing conditions and damages.
“There have been some delays precipitated by miscommunication on what the government would be delivering,” said Godefroy. “There was a requirement to further clarify what the government is able to repair (and rebuild).”
There have also been instances where some Nation members have been displaced and left homeless, as some were staying with family members or other Nation members in homes that were not their own.
“There are still families out there living in unsafe houses,” said Godefroy. “If someone walks into the recovery co-ordinator centre (located in the Morley townsite) and reports unlivable conditions, they must be addressed.”
In cases such as these, Godefroy said, the Red Cross has been tremendously helpful – stepping in and providing resources as needed, including a $100,000 donation to furnish three rec centres on the interim sites with amenities.
The main focus of the RMT is “to coordinate the repair and rebuild of flood affected homes and getting individuals and their families back into their homes as quickly as possible,” said Christine Balash, communications officer with the RMT.
The RMT is also focusing on facilitating a variety of capacity building initiatives, including family education on flood preparedness, employment, leadership and life skills training, community wellness initiatives, Stoney language and cultural learning opportunities and a general coordination of services for Nation members in transition.
The RMT helped facilitate an April 23 open house at the Bearspaw Youth Centre on disaster preparedness, which focused on providing information to Nation members on preparing for disasters such as floods, tornados, train derailments and forest fires.
Through Clark Builders and Outland Camps, a variety of employment opportunities for Nation members have been created and will continue to open up as phase two moves along, including construction, skilled trades and general labour.
Nation members have been employed on the three interim sites as kitchen staff, janitorial, security and cultural liaisons.
Homes that cannot be repaired or are deemed not cost-effective for repair will be rebuilt. Abandoned homes will not be repaired or rebuilt by the province.
The completion of flood-recovery is slated for the late fall of 2015.
