As the tornado cleanup begins, document everything, says the insurance industry

As Ottawa and Gatineau area residents start to piece their lives togetherafter a devastating tornado hit the region Friday, the Insurance Bureau of Canada has a piece of advice: document everything.

Pete Karageorgos, director of consumer and industry relations with the association, says once people know they're safe, they should immediately call their insurance providers.

Most home and business insurance policies cover damage caused by a windstorm, he said,but "policies do differ."

"So you want to contact your insurance company get clarification on any questions you might have with them," says Karageorgos, especially if homeowners are dealing with fallen trees and debris clean up.

"Document any damage by taking photos. If anyone has had to purchase supplies, to either tarp roofs or plywood for closing broken windows, they should keep receipts for any expenses that they have to submit that as part of their claim."

Also,Karageorgos adds, keep receipts for any hotel rooms, food and pet boarding, if needed.

Update your policies

It's advice echoed by the city of Ottawa.

"Your insurance company will give you direction on your next steps and assist with clean up and debris removal. Please do not bring garbage to the curb," notes a city statement.

Excluding the recent storm in Ottawa, Karageorgos says so far this yearinsurers have paid close to $1 billion in damages in Ontario alone.

"Annually, that figure across Canada has been about a billion dollars. We've already passed that in Ontario," he says.

"We're seeing the severe weather, because of changing climate, is having an impact on our homes or businesses or cars and there's a lot more claims because of that."

Karageorgos says the rise in extreme weather events is a reason for homeowners and businesses to review their insurance policies annually.

"Make sure it meets your needs so that when the next storm hits or the next event occurs people can rest easy that their coverage policy will respond," he says.

For damage sustained in a natural disaster that'snot covered by private insurance, the federal government does providefinancial assistance to homeowners through the provinces via the Disaster FinancialAssistance Arrangements (DFAA) program.

In its 2016 report, the Parliamentary Budget Officeestimated that, with larger and more intense weatherevents, the DFAAfaces costs of around $902 million annually.

Karageorgos says insurance adjusters and claim experts will be descending on the Ottawa area in droves over the next few days, but it could take months for people's lives to return to normal.