Insured losses associated with flash and intense flooding that occurred in Toronto and other areas of southern Ontario in July totaled more than $940 million, according to a new report from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc.
This bill does not cover material losses that were not covered by insurance, either because the people in question did not have insurance or because the damage exceeded the coverage limits
explains the vice-president of the Ontario and Atlantic section of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), Amanda Dean.
Torrential rain had turned the streets of Toronto into veritable rivers. More than 100 millimeters of rain fell in some places, causing major flooding in the streets of the country’s largest city.
At the peak of the outages, 167,000 Indians in Toronto were without power.
A “nightmare” for some
Toronto resident Delilah Campos’ basement was completely flooded on July 16.
Although her insurance company will give her $25,000 to cover the repairs, she will have to add $2,500 out of pocket for labor costs, she says.
It’s a nightmare for me.
This Toronto woman says she can’t sleep at night thinking about fixing her flood-damaged basement. She criticizes the government and the city for not having prevented the disaster.
Photo: Radio-Canada
The entire carpet was filled with water. I don’t want this to happen again
says the woman, quickly receiving members of her family.
She blames the city of Toronto and various levels of government for this flood. Delilah Campos questions the capacity of municipal infrastructure to absorb rainwater.
According to Environment Canada, the country faces extreme weather events more intense and more frequent
due to climate change.
With several major natural disasters in one month, including more torrential rain in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as labor shortages and supply issues, insurers are also overwhelmed.
This summer, Canada’s insurers simultaneously supported customers affected by the Toronto floods, the Calgary hailstorm, the Jasper fire and flooding in Quebec
lists Amanda Dean.
A difficult weekend
The insurance industry has also begun responding to the flooding that occurred in the greater Toronto area and Montreal last weekend.
Insurance companies are also working with customers affected by the tornado that hit Ayr, Ontario this weekend.
It is still too early to determine the extent of the damage and the associated bill, but the BAC warns about it these simultaneous events place enormous pressure on adjustment resources
.
The Vice President for Climate Change and Federal Affairs at BAC, Craig Stewarturges governments to stop building and rebuilding in flood-prone areas, invest instead in disaster relief, including improving stormwater infrastructure, and implement programs to protect homes from fire and flooding
.
In Ayr, a tornado tore down, among other things, a shed, illustrating the destructive power of these weather phenomena.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Andréane Williams
We ask affected customers to be patient. Rebuilding will take time.
The implementation of a pan-Canadian plan to better protect citizens during floods is essential, according to the government BACOtherwise, communities will continue to suffer significant damage and face increased challenges.
On average insured weather-related losses in Canada now regularly exceed $2 billion per year
according to BAC.
With information from Jérémie Bergeron
