CANADA, July 16 - Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) applicants should be aware of the following:

• DFA is intended to compensate for sudden, unexpected and uninsurable losses. This may include building repairs, replacement of essential personal effects, eligible equipment and inventory, and cleanup and debris removal.
• DFA is unable to compensate for losses for which insurance was reasonably and readily available, and does not include compensation for losses to personal belongings including:
  • damage to items located in basements, crawl spaces or similar low-lying storage areas, unless the basement, crawl space or storage area was being used as an essential living area;
  • outbuildings, detached or semi-detached garages or carports, or their contents;
  • recreational structures, such as jacuzzis, patios, pools, fences or landscaping;
  • personal items such as jewelry, collectibles, artwork, antiques, silverware, furs, decorative items, money and securities, or books and printed matter; and
  • recreational items, such as fishing, hunting or camping equipment, audio-visual, camera or dark-room equipment, skates, skis, bicycles, games, toys, garden tools or lawn furniture.
• A homeowner or residential tenant must show that the home is their principal residence. Seasonal or recreational properties are not eligible for assistance.
• A claim may be made in more than one category (e.g., homeowner and farm owner).
• Some ineligible items include insurance deductibles, non-essential recreational items, land lost due to erosion, landscaping and luxury goods.
• Small business owners must have at least $10,000 per year in revenue from the business and gross sales of less than $2 million per year.
• Farm owners must demonstrate that the farm is owned and operated by a person whose full-time employment is a farmer and be the means by which the owner generates the majority of their income.
• DFA is limited to restoring actual damage caused by a specific disaster that has been declared eligible for compensation.
• Financial assistance is provided for each accepted claim at 80% of the amount of total eligible damage that exceeds $1,000, to a maximum payment of $400,000.