With applications for disaster relief from Hurricane Fiona expected to open soon, Sydney-Membertou MLA Derek Mombourquette is calling for the province’s Emergency Management Office (EMO) to ensure staff are on the ground in Cape Breton to help people process their applications as quickly as possible.

Hurricane Fiona has left unprecedented damage on the island and tens of thousands of people have been without power and shelter for days now.

The amount of people expected to access the provincial government’s recently announced financial supports is significant.

“When applications become available, people are going to have questions about eligibility and how to fill them out. Cape Bretoners have suffered significant losses, whether to their homes or businesses, and the government needs to make sure that people get the supports they need right away,” says Mombourquette. “Having EMO staff deployed out here to help people fill out their forms and answer any questions will be a critical part of that.”

After Cape Breton’s flooding disaster in 2016, EMO staff were set up on the island to help with applications.

Mombourquette says the government needs to ensure those same supports, even more so, are available to Cape Bretoners in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.