The federal government says it's ready to help Atlantic Canadians who lost their homes in post-tropical storm Fiona.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Wednesday that the government is aware insurance companies are unlikely to cover the entirety of the damage and there is already a program in place.
"So the provincial authorities have, properly, the responsibility to assess the damage, to assess the claims that people have," explained LeBlanc. "And then the Government of Canada will share, in a very generous way, the cost of compensating people based on a long-standing formula that the provinces know well."
In an update Wednesday, Defense Minister Anita Anand said there are now 600 Canadian Armed Forces members in the area, clearing debris, assessing damage, and doing wellness checks.
"CAF personnel continue to operate under very challenging circumstances," said Anand. "This includes reserve force personnel, including Canadian Rangers who's own communities have been affected, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to help their neighbours in need."
MP Gudie Hutchings represents the Long Range Mountains riding which includes hard hit Port aux Basque.
Hutching expressed her gratitude to Defense minister Anita Anand for the support of CAF members.
"Anita, I have to tell you, when those green trucks pulled into town yesterday, people were clapping and tooting their horns and applauding because that brings more hope," said Hutchings. "What the Rangers and all the volunteers on the ground have done is such a great job but seeing those green trucks pull into town it just gave people more hope."
Hutchings says the clean-up is going to take longer than many realize.
"The thing that we really don't realize, yesterday the Coast Guard had to issue a NavCan warning because of all the debris floating in the sea," she said. "So this is going on for a long time frame but I want to assure everybody...we will be there with you, step-by-step every day for the short term and more importantly for the long term."
In Nova Scotia, MP Lawrence McAulay describes devastation as extraordinary.
"I'm telling you there are farmers out there who've lost entire crops just weeks from harvest," said McAulay. "I'm looking at some of the aerial maps and the churn on the sea floor trying to figure out what that's going to mean for the fishery in the next year and look at some of the damage to the wharves. This is a big deal."