Flood Vicitms Finding Return to Home, Emotional

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. - Many of the people  who were forced from their homes  because of the  ice jam and flooding  from the Nechako River, are just now heading back to their homes.

They are  discovering  their  journey is not yet over.

Debbie Scarborough is working with the  victims,  and  has already  gone through five of the homes  that  took the brunt of the  flood damage.   She says  the damage is in varying degrees, and one of the worst so far is a home that has seen  the concrete slab in  the basement,  shift by about 4 inches "I have never  seen something like that before , the slab is totally shifted" says Scarborough.  The fine sand that  was under that  slab  has been washed away. Scarborough says  there are some options  for this situation,  "But we are talking substantial renovations."

There is funding available to homeowners who suffered damage, but the ceiling on that  Disaster Financial Assistance is $300 thousand per home.  Scarborough says  the victims seem  to be  overwhelmed by what they are discovering in their homes "I think some of them  are overwhelmed by the shear magnitude of what needs to be done.  Its one  thing to move furniture to one side of the room  and  do a little bit of work, but to actually  lift everything out of a whole floor of  your house, and this is what your house is sitting on,  I think it's the magnitude, and I think its clearly hitting some of these residents."

She says  she's trying to get the residents to do a little at a time ""It's bite sized pieces. which is something I am really encouraging,  people need to  just bite off what they  chew  at this point and digest,  thre's a lot  of work to be done in some of these homes and you just can't let it overwhelm you."

One thing is certain, while the  local state of emergency is over,   Scarborough  says those who suffered the worst of the damage won't  find their lives back to normal   until will into  spring "Its not going to be any time soon  that it will be back  to normalcy for  a lot of these people,  it  could  be months and months."

 According to Scarborough, Recovery usually lasts three times longer than response.  The  state of emergency was in effect for 66 days,  meaning the recovery stage could take  as long as 6 months and  the spring freshet has  yet to be dealt with.

There are currently  nine families living in long term rentals.  Scarborough says   efforts are being made to return those people to their homes as soon as possible "I think for some of them, that's what they need to do, they need to get back to their  homes."

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