Lessons From Fort McMurray
To the Canadians who have been or are currently being impacted by wildfires: we extend our sincerest condolences for your losses. We cannot begin to understand the depth of this loss, or the impact on the community for years to come. Know that we’re here to support you in your journey to get your lives and your communities back to normal.
We believe in empowering home and business owners and their tenants with information in hopes that they can navigate insurable property losses of all sizes quickly and efficiently while keeping the wellbeing of their families and teams front of mind. We have worked with fellow Canadians through wildfires and weather events in recent years, and if you need help, we’re here to work with you too.
I hope that this blog can provide some helpful information and that you will have as speedy and efficient a resolution of your insurance claim as possible. If, however, you find that you need some help: please contact our office to schedule a free consultation.
NOTE that this blog provides basic and generalized information and tips for recovery, but does not provide legal advice.
We worked with Canadians impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016 and we can share some lessons from that mass-evacuation that devastated the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the neighboring communities of Alberta:
1. Lean on, and support your community.
This loss has devastated many people, families, and businesses in different but significant ways. While the physical community will need to be repaired, the social community can and should remain strong and resilient.
Keep dialogue open, offer a listening ear if you have the capacity, and ask for help if you need it.
It’s important to keep apprised of ever-changing health and safety information, evacuation orders, and re-entry conditions. The more contact you maintain with your community, the more up to date you all become.
Furthermore, in management of the tremendous loss of the 2016 Fort McMurry Wildfire, it became obvious that communication between neighbours was critical. While everyone will have different and unique insurance policies, and every structure and home may have been impacted in different and unique ways, it’s good to know what your neighbours are seeing and hearing.
If some of a small community is having difficulty with coverage decisions or denials of coverage, others in the community may have information and assistance to provide. Don’t be afraid to talk to your neighbours about their recovery process and find out what issues you may be sharing, and which you can help each other with.
2. Be patient, but advocate for your rights.
Insurance companies, governing bodies, contractors, and the like will be incredibly overwhelmed with the volume of need in the coming weeks and months. Make your claims and requests early, follow up, and review your rights under your Insurance policies; but know that some things will take time.
Try to prioritize your needs over your wants for right now, and be patient (but not lenient) with those responsible for answers.
Call or write to your Insurance company to open a claim as soon as possible. Communicating in writing keeps the answers and information you need at your fingertips through the chaos of an evacuation. Request your policy documents early, and once you’re assigned an adjuster: ask if any advances are available and get clarification on what coverage area those advances are being made from. Your policy documents may also be available online if you have a client portal or app.
Whether you get an advance or not: KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS! Not every cost will be reimbursable, but some will. It will be much easier to sort through things once the immediate need is filled. It’s easier to hold onto an unhelpful receipt than try to claim a cost you have no proof you incurred.
Once emergency needs are handled, prepare to do some waiting. There will be limited adjusters available, limited hours in the day for building permits to be reviewed, and limited contractors available to repair and rebuild the homes and businesses in the community. Be patient when things are not emergent and/or not going wrong but stay informed and engaged in the process. Be kind to others who are just as overwhelmed as you.
3. Photograph Everything.
The next few weeks will be chaotic for you, your friends, and your neighbours. You might be moving around a lot, and things do tend to get lost in the shuffle. Consider photographing (and storing to the cloud) receipts, important documents, and re-purchased personal property items so that you have secure records of costs incurred and steps taken.
When you are allowed back into your community (once all evacuation orders are lifted) tread very carefully. Consider photographing or videotaping the state of your property, but respect all security and health notices and be cautious with debris fields.
If you were fortunate enough to have some personal property survive, photograph it in position prior to retrieving anything. Anything that appears usable can be saved, but clear records need to be kept of where it was found and in what condition. If items may be salvageable but need cleaning or repair, photograph them in position and consider if removing them for safekeeping would add to the damage or minimize it.
Keep in mind that unfortunately some people will see this devastating loss as an opportunity to consider looting homes and businesses that were not destroyed. Photographing or videotaping your property and its content in place will preserve evidence of what was there and what state it was in for your subsequent insurance claim.
4. Know the difference between “Mass Evacuation” and “Additional Living Expense” (Loss of Use) Coverage and use them appropriately.
During mass evacuations, civil authorities require everyone to vacate the area for safety, even though some people may return after the Order is lifted to find their property untouched. Who covers the costs community members incurred while evacuated under the Order – especially those whose properties were not impacted?
Most Insurers offer some form of “Mass Evacuation” coverage, often alongside, or under the umbrella of “Additional Living Expenses” or “Loss of Use” coverage. These coverages are similar, and have similar reach – but apply to very different situations.
Mass Evacuation coverage should (subject to the terms of your policy) cover any “necessary and reasonable” increases to your normal costs of living. This includes hotel or temporary accommodation costs, increased food costs having to eat out when you normally cook at home, and emergency purchases for hygiene, etc. as you evacuate. This does not cover things you normally incur monthly while at home, such as rent, mortgage payments, land taxes, basic groceries, and basic utilities.
This coverage should apply to everyone who was forced to evacuate their property due to a Civil Order arising from (again, subject to the terms of your policy) a “sudden and accidental” event.
Every policy is different, but take a look to find out if you have this coverage, if its limited in time (i.e. for two weeks after the Order is issued), and if its limited in value (i.e. “up to” a specific dollar figure or proportion of coverage). We are currently offering Free Policy Reviews to help you better understand your rights and obligations. Appointments can be booked here.
Mass Evacuation coverage is often limited to the period of the Order, if not less; and applies to everyone forced to evacuate. If, once the Order is lifted, your property remains habitable: the claim ends. If, however, your property has been impacted by the wildfire or other weather event, coverage shifts from “Mass Evacuation” to traditional “Additional Living Expenses” / “Loss of Use” as the structure is repaired. This coverage will only apply if the home or structure has been rendered unlivable.
5. Get and keep informed.
Insurance claims are overwhelming. Whether it was just your home or business affected, or your entire community: the claim process is intimidating and (for most people) completely unknown. Our Resource Centre provides many articles on the “dos and don’ts” for commencing insurance claims, as well as tips and tricks for keeping your claim moving forward. We aim to empower you with the knowledge you need to better navigate this process.
If the process becomes overwhelming or you see red flags that you’d like help navigating, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a free consultation.
We’re here for Jasper and the other Canadian communities being impacted by these devastating wildfires, and we wish everyone safe and speedy recoveries.
By: Jess Stewart | Partner at Virani Law
