A new report from Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reveals that one year after consecutive devastating wildfires and flooding in Nova Scotia, the total insured losses now stand at $490 million, according to estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).
CatIQ noted that more than 88% of insurance claims related to the Tantallon wildfire as well as 90% of the claims from the July 2023 atmospheric river flooding have been resolved.
In addition to this new insured loss data, IBC’s report entitled “Insurance Claims Update for 2023 Nova Scotia Wildfires and Flooding” provides unique insights into the factors impacting the claims response as well as recommendations on how governments, regulators and the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry can work together to improve the claims and recovery process.
Specifically, the report notes that a scarcity of skilled labour, shortage of building materials and a lack of adjuster capacity were significant hurdles in the claims process. Stakeholder feedback suggested the need to improve information flow as crucial to successful disaster management and to enhance response efficiency and effectiveness.
“The purpose of this report is to identify lessons learned – including opportunities for improvement – to help inform the industry’s response to future catastrophic loss events, not only in Nova Scotia, but across Canada,” said Amanda Dean, Vice-President, Ontario and Atlantic, IBC. “Insurers want to support their customers and resolve claims as quickly as possible, and this means being transparent about how they can improve their response to better support impacted consumers. I believe this report is an important step.”
The back-to-back disasters in Nova Scotia illuminated the challenges of managing two large claims events in quick succession and tested the resilience and adaptability of insurers, adjusters, restoration companies and emergency services. The report details measures that insurers have taken to improve claims handling over the past year.
“We now live in a world in which large-loss insurance events should be expected almost annually,” added Dean. “One year after the challenging and historic 2023 wildfires and flooding, I am extremely proud to see such a large volume of claims have been resolved, and the industry is committed to working with the remaining consumers to ensure every single claim is closed as soon as possible.”
The report includes candid feedback from a variety of stakeholders, as well as a focus on how improved communication and information flow are crucial to successful disaster management and enhanced response efficiency and effectiveness. The report reinforces the insurance industry’s call for implementing a National Flood Insurance Program, for development of a National Recovery Strategy and for all governments to collaborate with the private sector to meet the targets of Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy. The Nova Scotia floods and wildfires illustrated that we are not ready as a country to defend against severe weather escalating due to climate change.
