The heavy rains and winds that swept across Ontario and Quebec last month caused almost $100 million in insured damage, according to preliminary estimates.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reports that the storms that hit central and southern Canada on November 24 and 25 caused more than $90 million in insured damage, according to Property Claim Services.
“Severe weather causes significant damage to Ontario communities far too often,” said Ralph Palumbo, vice-president, Ontario, IBC. “In 2014, weather-related insured damage in Ontario hit $200 million; that includes claims from the Burlington floods and the tornado in Angus.”
The storm brought wind gusting as strong as 100 kilometres per hour, causing widespread damage. Trees fell on buildings and vehicles, and hydro lines were downed, causing power outages for tens of thousands of people.
The rising cost of insured damage claims underlines the need for improved infrastructure and better planning on the part of all levels of governments, said Palumbo.
“The home, car and business insurance industry advocates for helping communities adapt to increasing severe weather and reduce its impact,” he said. “We’re talking with governments about improving infrastructure, updating flood maps and revisiting land use planning to keep homes off flood plains.”
The June 17 tornado that swept through Angus, Ont. that caused damage to about 100 homes could have been limited if better building code requirements were in place, said Greg Kopp, leader of the forensic research team with Western University engineering’s Storm Damage Assessment Team.
“Along with doing what the building code requires, we need to invest just a few hundred dollars extra in each home to avoid the kind of structural damage we saw in Angus,” Kopp told Insurance Business. “These changes would add much less than 1 per cent to the cost of a new home.”
Some of these preventative measures that brokers could suggest to clients include use of hurricane straps, metal bands that wrap around trusses and connect to walls.
“These costs, perhaps, a dollar apiece and can largely eliminate the risk of roof failures from an EF2 tornado,” Kopp pointed out.
