Southern Alberta deals with heavy flooding

With much of Calgary and many areas of southern Alberta flooded, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is reminding homeowners to take measures to protect themselves and their belongings.

Read: How to pick a property & casualty insurer

“First and foremost, we encourage all individuals in danger of flooding to take the proper measures to protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Bill Adams, VP, Western and Pacific Region, Insurance Bureau of Canada, in a press release. “In addition, we urge homeowners to take preventative action to minimize their losses.

“It’s important to take preventative action against flooding because damage caused by overland flooding is not covered by home insurance policies anywhere in Canada,” he added.

“However, some damage may be the result of sewer back-up. Coverage for this type of damage is available, but must be purchased as an add-on to a home insurance policy.”

5 facts about insurance policies:

• Sudden and accidental bursting of plumbing pipes and appliances is covered by home insurance policies. However, damage may not be covered when freezing causes the escape of water.
• Water damage in a basement due to a sewer backup is only covered if specific sewer backup coverage has been purchased.
• In certain circumstances, homeowners who are unable to return home due to insurable damage are entitled to additional living expenses (this coverage is not available if an evacuation happened due to overland flooding).
• Damage to vehicles from water is usually covered on an auto insurance policy if comprehensive or all perils coverage has been purchased. This coverage is not mandatory, so check your policy.
• Overland flooding resulting in water overflowing onto dry land and causing damage is not covered in home insurance policies in Canada.

A version of this story originally appeared on CITopBroker.com.

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Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.