Edmonton storms have caused $230M in insured damages since May, IBC says

Edmonton storms have caused $230M in insured damages since May, IBC says

Insurance Bureau of Canada says more claims could be on the way with storm season still brewing

Severe weather has been hitting the Edmonton area hard in recent weeks, and that weather is causing significant damage to homes, vehicles and businesses.

Rob de Pruis, the national director of consumer and industry relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), says that in the months of May and June, severe weather caused about $230 million in insured damages.

“Specifically when we think about late May and early June, there was a big flood event in Edmonton that caused about $80 million in insured damage,” de Pruis told CBC News on Friday.

“And a few weeks later, around June 20 to June 21, [weather] that impacted Edmonton and the surrounding area, we're looking at about $150 million in insured damages.”

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He said the IBC has so far received “thousands of claims” from individuals in Edmonton and the surrounding area with flooded basements, wind damage to their homes and vehicles, and damage to fences and decks.

de Pruis said the majority of claims are for residential damage, followed by vehicles and then businesses, many of which operate in residential neighbourhoods.

Emma Potter is the senior director of service systems with the Canadian Mental Health Association-Edmonton. In a statement to CBC News, she said 31 people have contacted the 211 program across Edmonton since the beginning of May to find resources to support with cleanup and restoration related to severe weather.

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de Pruis said that Alberta often has the “potential and conditions” for severe weather, commonly experiencing hail, wind, flooding and wildfires.

de Pruis noted there have been high amounts of insured damage in Alberta at other times in recent years.

“If we think back a couple years ago in 2024, I think everyone will remember Jasper National Park had a major fire,” he said. “A couple of weeks later, … Calgary was impacted with Canada's costliest hail-insured event at over $3 billion in insured damage from that particular hail event.

“So a couple years ago, there was over $4 billion damage in Alberta. This year, we're only looking at a fraction of that so far.”

When it comes to insurance coverage, de Pruis said that most of the individuals filing with the IBC have the correct coverage. However, he said that the “overland flood coverage” sometimes needed to cover this type of severe weather is not automatically part of a typical home insurance plan and must be added.

de Pruis said he encourages people to know what kind of insurance they have and what it covers.

“We're still experiencing severe weather, other people have been impacted and we're still quantifying those claims and we could see more events happening,” he said.

“So check your insurance policy, understand what coverage you have and what's available, and reach out to your insurance provider if you want to make any changes or add coverage.”

Serra Hamilton is a reporter with CBC News in Edmonton. She has previously worked as a reporter for Cabin Radio in the NWT and for The Signal in Halifax. She can be reached at serra.hamilton@cbc.ca.