N.L. government offers residents whose homes were destroyed by Fiona $200 per square foot
Residents on Newfoundland's southwest coast hit by post-tropical storm Fiona received details Tuesday on the provincial government's promised compensation for their lost homes: at least $200 per square foot of their ruined property and compensation for lost possessions.
Premier Andrew Furey and Energy Minister Andrew Parsons — also the area's MHA — met with affected residents Tuesday night in a closed-door meeting to lay out the details. Compensation will be based on detailed assessments by insurance adjusters of homes and their contents. The land's value will also be assessed, or the government will provide a suitable land option, like Crown land.
Peggy Savery's home was among the over 100 destroyed by the late September storm. She said she's glad to finally have some idea of what the aid promised by the provincial and federal governments will look like.
"I'm happy to have answers finally, just now it's a waiting game," said Savery on Wednesday morning. "At least we know there is a future, so it's not so dim."
Fundraising efforts collected millions of dollars in donations while the provincial and federal government's promised aid for those affected.
The financial assistance is for residents from communities on the southwest coast whose homes were either destroyed, are no longer safe to live in or cannot be reasonably repaired. With much of the damage resulting from a storm surge, insurance coverage was unavailable for most properties. Fundraising efforts have also collected millions of dollars.
Savery said she and her family were worried they wouldn't have a home again, or face financial struggles trying to rebuild.
"Now I feel very positive about the outcome," she said.
"For the most part I didn't see anybody upset. I guess it takes a lot to process and for it to sink in to exactly what it means for us and what we're getting."
Some things are still up in the air, however. While there was mention of building on Crown land was mentioned as a possibility, Savery said, there were no details on where that land is.
For now, Savery and her family are waiting for the insurance adjusters and contractors to estimate the cost to rebuild her home.
"That is going to be a process because there are, from my understanding, almost 100 of us," she said.
"It's just going to be a waiting game, how fast they can move forward with adjusters and contractors. That's what it'll come down to."
