Disaster financial assistance and recovery support

Information on supports for Albertans, including the Disaster Recovery Program and the Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program.

Overview

Financial assistance is available to help when facing uninsurable loss after a disaster.

The Provincial Recovery Framework provides a foundation to build and strengthen our ability to coordinate provincial resources during recovery. It outlines existing approaches to create a consistent and effective provincial approach.

The Disaster Recovery Program and Municipal Wildfire Assistance Program are intended to assist with widespread disaster events. Disaster financial assistance may be accessed after a municipality applies and is approved for a Disaster Recovery Program on behalf of their residents. Once a program is created, residents and other applicants may then apply for financial assistance. A state of local emergency does not have to be declared in order to receive financial assistance under a Disaster Recovery Program.
 

Eligible disasters

Not all disasters qualify for a Disaster Recovery Program(DRP), DRPs only cover uninsurable costs. To qualify the disaster must:

  • be considered an extraordinary event
  • not be covered by typical average insurance policies (insurance is not reasonably or readily available for the type of disaster)
  • have caused widespread damage to property (an event is considered widespread if the disaster has caused damage to property over multiple areas and/or jurisdictions, extending over a large area or number of people)

To be considered an extraordinary event, disasters must also meet the following criteria:

  • rainfall – rainfall measures at least a 1 in 25-year level for urban areas, and a 1 in 50-year level for rural areas
  • streamflow – flooding caused by a waterway exceeds a 1 in 100-year level
  • ice jams – winter and ice levels are reviewed and compared to previous data before they can be considered extraordinary

Contact

Connect with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 1-888-671-1111
Email: [email protected]

Address:
Alberta Emergency Management Agency
5th Floor, Terrace Building
9515 107 Street NW
Edmonton, Alberta  T5K 2C1