Municipality of Rhineland reeve, Don Wiebe, was pleased to hear this week that the Province finalized a Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program in response to the spring flooding.
    
Many crossings, including entire sections of roads and culverts in the municipality, saw severe washouts as a result of the water.

"This is some of the most severe damage we've had to our crossings, certainly since my tenure with the Municipality," said Wiebe. "And it never seems to quite be over. We are getting more rains this weekend and it could be enough to put additional stress on our crossings."

The rapid flows of the high volume of water this spring put a tremendous force on the crossings, explained Wiebe, washing away a lot of gravel and rock.

"Some of the material can be retrieved, but we need more and it's got to be packed and that's quite a bit of work. Finding access to the packing material is also a bit difficult," he added. 

However, Wiebe understands that Public Works Director Craig Smiley has located some alternate material, and says the process to repair damaged areas will begin. 

Crews are currently taking stock of the damage and the estimated cost of repairs.

Meantime, Wiebe says the DFA program will be helpful to some residents impacted by the spring flood as well. 
    
DFA helps Manitobans recover by providing financial assistance for uninsurable losses to basic and essential property. It will also assist with verified livestock losses.

"Some culverts or driveways that are the owners' responsibility were certainly washed out by the flood, and we are now encouraging them to make their applications to the DFA claims for that," said Wiebe.

For more information about eligibility or to apply, visit www.manitoba.ca/emo/dfa or email dfa@gov.mb.ca.