The National Disaster Fund has extended the period within which applications can be submitted for repairs to the flooding in July last year. Municipalities can also apply for preventive activities to protect village centers against possible future flooding.
Civil society organizations can now submit an application until 1 June 2022.
extension
The ‘local funds’ program for distressing cases of residents of a municipality has also been extended until that time. “We notice that citizens and municipalities have to wait quite a long time for a decision from insurance companies and the Disaster Compensation Act,” says Lodewijk van der Kroft, treasurer of the National Disaster Fund.
Local funds
The ‘local funds’ pot is intended for citizens who have been affected by the high water but who do not have the financial means to absorb the damage. “Consider, for example, a family of which a member is ill and has to go to hospital but that the car has broken down due to the high water. If such a family does not have enough money to repair the car, they can knock on the door of the municipality. If he or she judges that the family is in a dire situation, the municipality can knock on our door for money,” says Van der Kroft.
Preventive
The application for preventive work can only be applied for by municipalities and social organizations such as foundations and associations. “It is important to know that for this application there was no damage caused by the recent flooding, but it was a bit of an edge,” says Van der Kroft. “We have already received three applications and want to give other initiatives the opportunity to submit an application as well.
With the preventive work, the applications hope to limit the damage in the event of a possible next flood. Van der Kroft does not want to specify too much what those preventive activities could be. “We’re opening up and don’t want to close it up too much.”
Three lines
Flood victims can receive money in three ways:
- A gift of 1000 euros has been distributed twice, intended to cover the first damage.
- In addition, affected social organizations whose buildings or possessions have suffered serious damage can submit an application to the disaster fund if the WTS and insurance do not offer a solution.
- In addition, three million euros has been reserved for ‘local funds’. These are victims who have ended up in dire situations because they do not have the financial means to repair the damage caused by the high water.
Flood
In July 2021, parts of Limburg were hit by a severe flood disaster. Heavy rainfall has caused rivers to burst their banks, flooding streets, houses and other buildings. There are still a number of Limburgers who cannot return to their homes.