The Merritt Rotary Club continues to assist flood victims by distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated funds.

During the first phase of funding, Merritt Rotary gave out a total of $523,500 to 262 residents. This phase of funding is now closed and no new applications will be accepted.

Moving into phase two, Rotary has already provided $100,500 split between 43 residents. Successful phase two applicants are those currently working on their homes with the potential to move back in.

“We have identified the people who will receive funding through this phase already and if they haven’t received a phone call, they will soon,” said Leslee Lucy, President of the Merritt Rotary Club.

“The donations we are receiving have slowed down considerably.”

Phase three, which is expected to begin in a few weeks, will focus on assisting residents whose homes were destroyed and will need to be completely rebuilt. The details of this phase are currently being ironed out, and a great deal of this funding will depend on the amount of money coming in from the Hell or High Water telethon.

“The Hell or Highwater Telethon and concert was a great success,” said Lucy.

“The impact will be felt for many months to come. The telethon and concert put the spotlight back on the fire and flood ravaged communities, it had fallen out of favour with the media. It also made a statement to the government that we take our selves seriously and we expect the government to do so as well.”

Although the final tally of funds raised by the Hell or High Water telethon has not been determined, Lucy estimates it to be around $140,000, with the concert raising an additional $12,000, with donations still coming in.

“Merritt Rotary really appreciates all the work that went into the telethon and concert by Greg Girard, Colin Girard, Melvina White and Kenny Hess,” said Lucy.

“They were an absolute delight to work with and I hope we can work with them again in the future. Merritt Rotary also really appreciates all the generous and kind-hearted people who have helped us help the residents of Merritt. This is a great community that has each other’s backs. It is a privilege to be part of it.”