$500,000 paid out to Burlington flood victims

The City of Burlington has paid out more than $500,000 to residents as part of a flood relief program.

The payments come after 628 residents applied for the grant made available following the floods that occurred over two days of heavy rain in July.

Of those who applied, 559 residents were approved for the grants of $1,000 each. The money has since been distributed.

Across the city, 1,620 property owners reported flood damage, according to city a report.

The same report indicates that 54 per cent of the flooding involved some degree of stormwater-induced wastewater system surcharging. This means in these cases, the rain caused the municipal sewer system to overload and back up into the homes. The rest of the flooding came from other sources.

Other data shows that across Halton Region, more than 4,400 flood-related inquiries were submitted to municipal officials with 3,128 of those reporting flood damage. Halton also paid out $1,000 in grants to several flood victims.

As a result of the floods and resulting damage, Burlington is now considering the establishment of a resiliency fund to support the community in the event of emergencies or disasters.

The goal of the fund would be to provide financial support to those in the community and assist with recovery efforts following emergencies. Money to stock the fund could come from a variety of sources including city reserves and public donations.

Next week a city committee will deal with the resiliency fund question and determine how it should be created and proceed if the concept is approved.