Millions of dollars in new flood recovery money will be flowing into communities of the Eastern Fraser Valley.
Chilliwack will see $3.35 million earmarked for infrastructure planning, and resilience building to prevent future events.
District of Kent will receive $2.55 million for a new pump station, flood gates and flood mapping, while the Fraser Valley Regional District will see $1.62 million for initial recovery, debris cleanup, bank stabilization and infrastructure repair.
“People in the Fraser Valley were devastated by November’s floods, and all levels of government are working hard to make sure we are focusing on communities’ immediate needs, as well as protection,” said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack.
A total of 10 local governments will receive direct grants from a $53.6 million pool of funds geared to ongoing recovery, and infrastructure planning, including Abbotsford, Cowichan Valley Regional District, Hope, Merritt, Princeton, and Thompson-Nicola Regional District, as well as Chilliwack, Agassiz and the FVRD.
“The floods and Landslides that hit us in the Fraser Valley in November turned many people’s lives upside down,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. “Building back better from these floods is a priority we share with the local governments in Kent and Chilliwack.”
The new funding will cover initial flood recovery costs that were not covered by other programs, including infrastructure planning and resilience for possible future climate events, as well as part of the funds to raise Kamp Road in District of Kent.
The new funding is in addition to the more than $2.1 billion in this year’s budget to help people recover from the floods and wildfires of last year and to better protect communities against future climate disasters. As well as the $228 million in federal-provincial funding provided to B.C. farmers who suffered extraordinary damages during the November floods.
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