Driftpile flood victims dissatisfied

Page 2

There is a growing discontentment amongst the members of Driftpile Reserve regarding the performance of their band and council and they say they are fed up.

Many of the members, victims of the 1988 flood, feel that the band has not used the funds received from the provincial disaster services adequately.

"The funds were to repair our homes to its original status prior to the flood. This is not the case," stated 47 year old, James Isadore.

Not able to stand the musty smell any longer, Isadore who has a heart problem, had removed the old insulation that was still wet and left in the crawl space of his three bedroom home, just prior to the interview.

A distinctive odor of mold was evident upon entering his home. Isadore pointed out to the mold and water stains on the bedroom wall and the warp on the kitchen floor, where he placed the deep freeze, all the after effects of the flood.

The house is cold, from lack of proper insulation he said, and his winter fuel bill of $600 last winter was double of that the previous year.

At the time of inspection following the flood, Isadore was told he could relocate his house, but later the band refused his request saying they don't have the money, he claimed.

Many of the band members related similar experiences, with some of them stating they did not have any repairs done as yet, one and a half years later.

Although the home of Doris and Dan Giroux received some damages from the 1988 flood, no repairs have been done to the home.

A house inventory was carried out on Oct. 6, 1989, by a band councillor but "I don't know when they will come to fix things," Doris said.

At 49 years old, Doris suffers from arthritis and travels to Edmonton every two months for treatment. She finds he home to be extremely cold, saying her three grandchildren who reside with her have constant colds.

According to the minutes of the band meeting of Sept. 7 the family will be given the house of another band member, who will be given a new house.

If they expect another family to move in there, where is the rationale of them getting a new house, she wonders.

With her home being damp and cold, 77 year old Valerie Giroux, who suffers from arthritis, finds a little comfort from the dry heat of her wood stove.

In the crawl space beneath the home, the water heater is located in a dugout, which still holds traces of water from the flood. A fan was placed in the crawl space the same day as the reporter's visit. Due to the time of season, Giroux questions the

use of the fan.

Her 20 year old house hit by last year's flood had a new flooring laid over the damp one. The water was well over the floor and base boards, yet the walls were not checked nor were the baseboards changed, states Giroux.

The footings and rafters of a building lie on the ground a short distance from her home. This was to be her new home, which was to be completed earlier this spring, but it looks like she will be spending another winter in her damp and musty

dwelling.

The home of 31 year old Marily Giroux, was supposedly condemned. Yet she was told to move from the trailer that was temporarily brought in to house victims of the flood while repairs were made to their homes before minor repairs were

finished.

Finding her home too cold for her one year old child, she spends a great deal of time at her parents' home, which is cold but not as cold as her place, she said.

A storm door still in its plastic wrapping stands against a house waiting to be installed and the pile of dirt that has been sitting outside her home for the past two months is not a welcome sight to Mertle Giroux.

She finds the band and council very slow at dealing with band member concerns, saying the chief is quick with the tongue when approached by a band member.

Going without heat for two months due to a broken propane line, Giroux is not impressed with the performance of the chief and council.

Last August Judy and Eugene Chalifoux had informed Windspeaker thatthey were unsatisfied with the way the band and council were handling repairs to their homes, which was damaged in the 1988 flood.

They chose not to make a statement or have a reporter look at their home at this time, saying they would rather wait as they had just submitted a list of necessary repairs to the band office.

The band received a total of $856,000 compensation from the provincial flood disaster program, disclosed Dan Muloin, chairperson for the Public Safety Division.

Individuals were paid directly for personal loss and the band was paid for repairs to the damaged houses. This is the first time in history an Indian band was helped through the program, Muloin said.

Once the estimates were done, the band was issued a grant (50 per cent of estimates), to ensure a cash flow. After the band does the repairs they were to submit receipts which were then evaluated to see if it fell into the guidelines of eligibility

before being processed for payment.

Band members question the minutes of band meetings, saying they (band and council) put only what they want in the minutes and the financial statement is general, and not itemized.

The general consensus is one of dissatisfaction and they would like to see a change that would ensure proper representation of band members.

Windspeaker was unable to reach Chief Clifford Freeman, from the Driftpile reserve for comment, in spite of numerous messages left at the band office.