Tuesday marks deadline to apply for Fiona relief in N.B., P.E.I. and N.L.

Time is running out for homeowners to apply for financial assistance to recover from post-tropical storm Fiona.

It’s been four months since Fiona ravaged Atlantic Canada, damaging coastlines and destroying homes.

For many, storm recovery spanned weeks and even months.

In Fiona’s wake, provincial governments introduced financial assistance to help households and small businesses recover.

Applications for financial assistance in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are closing Tuesday.

Nova Scotians have until Feb. 24 to apply for funding.

"That doesn't mean that the processing stops then or the payments stop then," said Dan Bedell, the communications director for the Atlantic region of the Canadian Red Cross. "That will continue for a period of time afterwards until all the eligible applications that have come in and met the deadline are reviewed and processed, and payments are issued."

Applicants are encouraged to take photos of damaged items and create itemized descriptions of damaged or lost items and replacement cost estimates. For renters, a copy of the tenancy agreement is required.

Applications for disaster relief are available online.

The program is meant to cover lost or damaged property that was uninsurable, or for which insurance claims were denied.

However, not all losses are included. Homes that could have been insured but weren't are not covered under the program. Secondary homes, like cottages, also don't qualify under the program.

Some cottage owners are still asking for consideration for those who saw their cottages destroyed once primary residences are taken care of.

"Complete losses to their cottage. These are folks, in some cases, where their cottages have been in their families for decades and it's not like people have the money to rebuild from scratch," said Jennifer Harding, the board president for the Seasonal Residents of P.E.I., Inc.

"I know the deadline is coming up. We're hoping maybe that there might still be some consideration for those folks, where there really is hardship to rebuild."