The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has offered to provide compensation to local homeowners, businesses, and municipalities affected by the winter storm event that struck last month.

The weekend blizzard that hit several parts of NL on January 17 brought winds with speeds of more than 160 km/h, and causing as much as 60cm of snowfall. The storm was such that affected towns declared local states of emergency, advising residents to stay indoors until the weather improved.

Read more: NL towns declare state of emergency following blizzard event

A fund will be put together to pay for any damages resulting from the storm event – particularly damages not covered under an insurance plan, NL Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment Derrick Bragg explained. These include damages caused by surges, flooding and blizzards.

Bragg told CBC News that the department is expecting “lots of applications” for the compensation.

Claims can be made through the department’s website. Each request will be reviewed by various departments for finalization. The review process itself will consider whether the damage could be covered by private insurance; Minister Bragg has advised that anyone applying should first check with their insurer to see what will be covered by their policy.

Bragg cautioned that there is no guarantee that everybody will be compensated, but offered assurances that “people that were really affected by this should see something.”