MPP Pasma welcomes DRAO activation in Ottawa after devastating floods

OTTAWA – After more than a week of demanding aid to Ottawa West-Nepean and neighbouring communities following the July 1st storm, the Ford government has finally announced the activation of the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO). NDP MPP Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West – Nepean) released the following statement:

“While this is good news for my constituents, it has been a long time coming,” said MPP Pasma. “The scale of the damage in our community has been unlike anything Ottawa West-Nepean has experienced in generations. It was clear to me, only days after the July 1st storm and meeting with residents, that conditions to activate DRAO had been met. And yet, it still took this Government weeks to finally step in and help.

“For myself and so many of the residents in Ottawa who spent weeks feeling left largely on their own after what has now been described as a one-in-200-year weather event, it has sounded the alarm that we need better emergency disaster response plans. People have worked tirelessly to clean up their homes, protect their families, navigate insurance claims, and begin rebuilding, often without knowing whether additional help would ever come. A disaster of this magnitude deserved faster certainty, clearer communication, and stronger support from the Government.”