Severe weather:
How to prepare and stay safe during floods, wildfires and hail
Severe weather is becoming increasingly common across Canada, and events like floods, wildfires and hail can leave significant damage in their wake.
While you cannot stop every loss from occurring, you can, in many cases, reduce the severity of damage that severe weather can cause by proactively protecting your home, vehicle, business or farm — and your livelihood.
While we outline preventative measures you can take to reduce the damage that floods, wildfires and hail can cause, we recommend that you also refer to your provincial or territorial severe weather preparedness guidelines, which are available online, for more specific regional information.
Flood preparedness guide
Flooding caused by rapid snow and ice melt, heavy rain and overflowing bodies of water can cause significant and costly damage to your home, business or farm. Protect your property with these proactive risk mitigation tips.
Wildfire preparedness guide
Wildfires can escalate rapidly and quickly spread to populated areas. Being prepared is the first step — especially if you live in an area prone to wildfires. Discover ways in which you can protect your home, business or farm from wildfire damage.
Hail preparedness guide
Hailstorms can sweep in quickly and cause significant damage to your home, vehicles and business in a short period of time. If you live in an area prone to hail — particularly in the Prairies — these tips can help you be prepared.
Earthquake preparedness guide
Earthquakes are unpredictable and can cause significant damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and farms in a short period of time. While some parts of Canada are more prone to earthquakes, a tremor can strike anywhere. These tips can help you be prepared.
Tornado preparedness guide
Tornadoes can form quickly, resulting in extreme winds and thrown debris that can cause extensive damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and farms in a short period of time. While parts of Canada are more prone to tornadoes, a twister can touch down anywhere. These tips can help you be prepared.
Hurricane preparedness guide
Hurricanes bring severe sustained winds and torrential rain, which can quickly cause considerable damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and farms. While Atlantic Canada is most prone to hurricanes, the impact of these storms can reach as far as Quebec and Ontario. These tips can help you prepare.
Severe weather FAQs
Severe weather has resulted in billions of dollars in insured losses year after year since the late 1990s, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. This is not limited to property damage, but also accounts for claims such as additional living expenses for those forced out of their homes by major weather events, food spoilage and more. We provide more information about common claims and insurance coverages on our flood, wildfire and hail preparedness pages.
Consider insurance as your safety net for when disaster strikes — it can help you pick up the pieces from a financial standpoint. But severe weather damage to your home, business or farm can also take an emotional toll, and there are some things that insurance cannot replace (like cherished belongings). Taking proactive measures to reduce the damage caused by severe weather can save you stress and also protect your belongings from being destroyed.
Additionally, some insurers will reward your efforts to take preventative action against severe weather with lower premiums. We discuss this further on our flood, wildfire and hail preparedness pages.
Should severe weather result in a mandatory evacuation order, contact us to explore the insurance coverages that your policy may offer (i.e., additional living expenses, food spoilage). You’ll want to document any damage to your property (i.e., home, vehicle, business, farm), when it is safe to do so. This will be important to have when filing a claim.
Learn more about severe weather insurance coverages by reviewing our flood, wildfire and hail preparedness pages, or by contacting a member of our team.
If you need to file a claim, Acera Insurance is here to help and will support you through the entire process. You can learn more about the claims process here.
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