Residential areas in Canada’s capital region were struck by a massive twister this weekend.
The Canadian tornado insurance industry has issued advice to the region of Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec, which was struck by severe weather over the weekend.
The insurance industry is telling affected residents to document absolutely everything during cleanup.
Severe weather has already caused nearly $1 billion in insured damage this year in the province of Ontario alone. Now, the country’s capital, Ottawa, and the city across the river from Ottawa, Gatineau, has been hit by a devastating tornado. The twister cut through residential areas on Friday. In order to ensure that Canadian tornado insurance claims will be as smooth as possible, the Insurance Bureau of Canada has issued a top recommendation: document every part of the cleanup.
According to Insurance Bureau of Canada director of consumer and industry relations, Pete Karageorgos, there are two immediate steps policyholders should be taking. The first is to make sure they are safe and to contact their loved ones to ensure they know where they are and that they are safe. The next step is to call their insurance providers so they know what they should do to move forward.
The majority of residential and commercial policies include Canadian tornado insurance.
Karageorgos confirmed that most business and homeowners insurance policies do cover windstorms such as tornadoes.
However, he cautioned policyholders that “policies do differ,” according to a CBC report. Therefore, it’s still important to contact an insurance company right away to know exactly what needs to be done and how.
“So you want to contact your insurance company get clarification on any questions you might have with them,” said Karageorgos. He added that this step is particularly important in the case of homeowners who are facing considerable debris to clean up, including fallen trees.
“Document any damage by taking photos. If anyone has had to purchase supplies, to either tarp roofs or plywood for closing broken windows, they should keep receipts for any expenses that they have to submit that as part of their claim,” he added.
Karageorgos also reminded policyholders that Canadian tornado insurance often covers at least part of expenses such as hotel rooms, food, and boarding pets, so it’s important to keep any receipts for those costs.