The Canadian government set up a C $300 million US $220.4 million fund to help Atlantic provinces and parts of Quebec recover from the destruction left behind by the storm Fiona last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.
Fiona, one of the worst storms to ever hit Canada, battered the country's east coast, toss homes into the ocean, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands and killing three people.
This funding will support projects to repair and rebuild damaged critical infrastructure to help local businesses and communities rebuild and recover, Trudeau told reporters in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
It could take months before infrastructure can be fully restored, according to officials. On Tuesday morning, over 13,000 Nova Scotia Power customers were still without power.
The Hurricane Fiona Recovery FundFiona Recovery Fund would provide up to C $300 million and provide support for costs that are not covered by other federal programs, the government said in a statement.
Trudeau said that they were there to help people who are facing challenges due to uninsured structural damage in their homes, whether it be federal infrastructures or community infrastructure.
The credit rating agency said the storm could result in record insured losses for the Atlantic provinces, putting the initial estimate at between C $300 million and C $700 million.