In the event of a flood, citizens are able to relocate their homes to higher ground or areas outside of the floodway. Typically, this act of clearing the floodway is a recovery activity that helps to minimize future damage.
While relocation normally occurs after the event of a flood, this option does help to mitigate potential damage and destruction of future floods. Clearing the floodway of homes and businesses ensures that damage and high costs can be avoided in floodways while making room for rivers to flow along their natural course [1].
After Alberta’s June 2013 flooding, the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) allowed homeowners to apply for relocation compensation. This meant citizens living within the floodway were eligible to relocate to an area of their choice outside of the floodway [2]. Of the 250 people eligible in Alberta to relocate their homes, approximately 10% agreed with the government’s offer of a buy-out. Homeowners who have chosen to stay in the floodway will be ineligible for disaster assistance in future floods [3]. Applications for the relocation program have been extended to August 30th 2014.
The Government of Alberta provided the option of relocation to citizens whose homes were in the floodway and majorly impacted. Funding was provided through the Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) which, is managed by the provincial government [4].
Yes. In order to relocate, citizens must have owned property within the floodway. Citizens living outside of the floodway were ineligible for relocation funding from the government. For example, communities located along the Elbow River in Calgary and Highwood River in High River were provided relocation funding while citizens living in the flood fringe near those rivers were ineligible [5].
This relocation policy was offered by the Government of Alberta for people impacted in the 2013 floods in southern Alberta. To be eligible, citizens must have been living in the floodway at the time of the flood event. While more people could have accepted the provincial government’s offer to buy-out property, many decided to stay in their communities.
This policy was not enforceable. Citizens living in the floodway were able to decide if they wanted to relocate and where. They could also decline the offer.
Relocating homeowners to areas outside of the floodway is a step towards clearing the floodplain of developments and turning this land into a natural area. In doing so, water is able to move freely without causing extensive damage to property, developments and the surrounding environment. Essentially, relocating homes helps to make room for rivers and return the floodplain to its natural state. In order for this policy to be fully effective, however, all developments should be relocated [6].
No, relocation policies are only effective for reducing flood damage.
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