Insurance experts say homeowners should
ensure that they are covered for weather events.
They can also take steps to mitigate their risk
before disaster strikes.
Red River Mutual Insurance vice-president of Claims
Lyndon Friesen says that in recent years, the company
has seen an increase in the severity of wind claims.
"Ten of our last 12 catastrophes have involved wind
damage," Friesen said in an email exchange.
The most extreme incident in 2021 occurred in
January, when an Alberta clipper with wind speeds up
to 143 km/h hit near Regina. That catastrophe, which
also brought freezing rain and snow, affected many
policies in Saskatchewan.
"(The) most significant losses involved farm
outbuildings and grain storage bins," says Kevin
Biscoe, director of Insurance Operations.
"However, on the residential side, we typically see
shingles, eavestroughs, fences, and roofing damage,
often due to trees being blown over."
Manitoba has also experienced an increasing number
of severe storms, and the provincial government has
predicted that more extreme weather — heatwaves,
droughts, floods and intense storms — will likely
become more common.
"We have seen an increase in wind severity and
frequency, with more wind shears being caused by
thunderstorms and temperature inversions," says
Charlene Henderson, Red River Mutual vice-president
of Underwriting.
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