Dates are now set for registration centres to open across southern Alberta so residents can apply for funding to rebuild after the June floods.
    A flood recovery registration centre has been scheduled to appear in Drumheller on July 7 and 8 at the Memorial Arena from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

    “The unprecedented nature of this disaster required an unprecedented response from the government,” said Doug Griffiths, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “We had disaster recovery staff on the ground in west central Alberta where the floods started within days. Now we are setting up registration centres across southern Alberta so residents in downstream communities can apply for the money they need to rebuild.”
    Applicants should go to the registration centre. Anyone planning to apply later should continue cleaning and repairing their property, saving receipts and taking photos of damage.
    The application process for those unable to attend a registration centre will be announced at a later date. A permanent office for the 2013 Southern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program will also be established in Calgary later this summer. There will also be more registration centres in southern Alberta announced later in July.
    Disaster recovery programs provide financial assistance for homeowners to repair or rebuild their primary residence and other uninsurable property damage and loss. They also help communities, small businesses and agricultural producers recover from disasters. They are intended to cover the costs of returning essential property to the condition it was in before a disaster happened.
    “We understand that these floods have been traumatic for everyone, and that’s why we are moving as fast as possible to get help into these communities,” said Griffiths. “If you’re unable to apply in person, or do not have urgent needs and plan to apply later, there will be other ways to access this funding.”

    The Rage, Drumheller’s bantam girls softball team, is celebrating after another medal finish at provincials.
    Last weekend, the Rage headed to Leduc to battle for the title of U16 C provincial champions.
    The Rage got off to a tremendous start on Saturday, June 29, with a 19-0 win over McLeod and followed-up with a 16-8 win over a squad from Hyde Park in Edmonton.

The Drumheller Rage with their U16 C girls softball provincial bronze medals. The girls were in Leduc over the Canada Day weekend for provincials then finished off their season on July 3 for the final game of their league championships. The Rage finished with silver in their league.

    The Rage continued to dominate on Sunday with a 12-4 win over the Red Deer Rage and 6-2 win over the Killam Thunder, who defeated the Drumheller Rage two years ago in the gold medal game at provincials.
    “The game was unbelievable, both teams played incredibly well. We took an early lead and never looked back, defeating them by a score of 6-2. We had tremendous pitching, some incredible defence and the intensity of the game was beyond anything we’ve seen this year,” said Shari Fournier, coach of the Rage.
    After the round robin, the Rage were in first place.
    On Monday morning, they lost against their league rivals, the Calgary West Valley Sliders.
    “Both teams are pretty evenly matched, each winning and losing 2 games this year. Unfortunately we just came out very flat and struggled the entire game. I think the girls just got a bit ahead of themselves after the win against Killam,” said Fournier.
    The Rage headed to the bronze medal game against the East Central Kaos, where they won the game, 12-11, and the  bronze medal.
    The Rage had won gold last year at provincials, but are happy with their performance.
    “Although we were hoping for a gold none of us are disappointed with a bronze. We moved up an entire division in provincial play this year which is a big step for the team. We did not have the competition in league that we had hoped for, so our preparation going into provincials wasn’t as strong as we had last season, but we still managed to play extremely well. Our “gold” medal game was the game against Killam and we won.  Unfortunately, that came a day too early,” said Fournier.
    The Rage will had a chance for some redemption on Wednesday, July 3, against the West Valley Sliders in the final game of league championships. The Rage lost and had to settle for silver in their league.
    “We won silver, but it wasn’t our best night. We just couldn’t get our bats going,” said Fournier.
    The season is over for the Rage. They’ll be taking a break over the summer and then taking a look at the next season. At the moment, the number of players is leaving the future of the Rage in doubt.
    “With such a small team, we’re always fighting will having enough players. With the age range of girls we have, we’re going to be in two different divisions. We have five girls who would moved up to a U18 division and the rest would remain in U16. At this point we’re not sure what will happen,” said Fournier. “Hopefully we can keep the team together so the girls always have a place to play.”
    The Rage are encouraging any girls interested in playing to register in the fall.