Oh man, waiting for disaster assistance subsidy programs is the worst, especially when you’re in a bad spot. I remember seeing people in my town super stressed after a storm, 'cause even though there were programs like Alberta’s, getting the money took ages. It’s like every form, photo, and signature goes to a different desk, and you can’t just call someone—you have to wait for them to call you back, if they ever do.

I honestly think a lot of it is just bureaucracy slowing things down. Governments set up all these checks to make sure nobody cheats the system, but that means everyone ends up in a giant line. Sometimes, politicians argue about how much money to give, or if the program should even happen, which delays everything even more.

My aunt was denied help once because she missed some weird deadline, so all her repair bills came out of her own pocket. If the goal is to actually help people after disasters, I think there’s got to be a way to speed up these programs, but politics and paperwork always get in the way. It feels super unfair, especially when you see empty promises on TV but nothing actually happens fast for regular people.