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Hailstorm

Saskatchewan Sporadic Weather Activity


As you have likely seen, there were tornadoes that recently touched down by the Meadow Lake Provincial Park. We have had some wild windstorms across Saskatchewan which have been accompanied by some decent sized hail as well.  These aren’t huge surprises as we live in Saskatchewan and these storms seem to be an annual occurrence. However, when it does strike your area, it can not only be terrifying, it can be devastating as well.

What can I do to protect my family and my assets in these storms? 

Having a proper emergency protocol is always important. Whether you have a designated room in your basement or you just hide under your staircase, it is important that your family knows what to do in the event of a storm. Avoid going near any windows as broken glass can cause serious injury. 

Having your roof secured with “hurricane straps” to the trusses helps keep your roof firmly attached to your dwelling. For your outbuildings, making sure your bins are anchored and any other structures are on a solid foundation and anchored down is important as well.

If the winds are strong enough, it may not matter how secure your buildings are. In this case it is important to carry the proper insurance coverage to insure your property from these types of windstorm claims. 

Tornadoes and Plow Winds can do serious damage, whether it is by causing direct damage to the buildings, vehicles or equipment, or indirectly, by blowing trees down and then the tree severely damages your property. Having an insurance policy for your home, buildings, vehicles & equipment can make sure your property is covered so you are not in a serious financial loss after the storm subsides. 

Wind & Hail are covered on majority of insurance extensions as it is a named peril. Make sure you confirm with your broker what coverage you actually have on your policy. In some instances, people assume they have coverage and cancel their license plate insurance off their trailers/RVs when they are parked in a year-round seasonal site. Make sure you phone your broker to make sure your extension auto pak covers you during this time, as some policies need to be amended for such a scenario. 

Shingles are commonly damaged when it comes to these elements. It is important to note that insurance companies have started depreciating your roof, if the shingles are over 15 years old, as they wear over time. Doing an annual inspection of your roof (whether it is you or a professional) would be a good thing to do, to maintain and fix any small amounts of damage and make sure your roof is still in good condition for another year of wind, rain, hail, ice & snow. It would be a good idea to clean out your eavestroughs at the same time as these can get blocked up by debris and prevent water from draining properly.

Keeping your property maintained and well looked after, is very important, not only to you, but to your insurance company as well. By looking after your property, you reduce the chance of having a claim and that can benefit your relationship with your insurance company and result in accumulating claims free & loyalty discounts.

These storms can be very scary and can cause an exorbitant amount of damage. Make sure you  have measures in place to keep your family safe, and policies in place to keep you financially safe. Take care out there.

Preparing for the amazing and horrific summer storms.

“I wish we had just a little more wind!” – said no one in Saskatchewan, ever. One thing about living in the prairies is that wind is inevitable. You can’t run from it, change it,redirect it or hide from it. However, due to the improved construction in today’s world, we are able to protect ourselves a lot better.

In many states down south, they have bunkers dug into the ground to protect themselves from tornadoes and other windstorms. We have basements in our houses that help protect us as well. Make sure you get yourself under the stairs and away from the windows if a tornado ever strikes near your home.

Lightning can also cause a fair amount damage, when lightning strikes from cloud to ground, it passes approximately, 1 billion (1,000,000,000) joules of energy. If that strikes your home, A nearby tree or power line, the damage can start to pile up.

So how can you protect yourself and your belongings from these types of natural disasters?

There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from such events:

  • Installing hurricane straps to your trusses to protect your roof from blowing off the walls in extreme winds.
  • Installing a lightning rod to your house to protect yourself from a lightning strike/surge which would fry your appliances.
  • Have an electrician install some surge protection on your electrical panel to protect potential surges from hitting your appliances. (These have a limit on how many cycles/charges it can take.)
  • Check your roof to make sure you aren’t missing any shingles or any damage is present before the storm, and make sure you fix the roof after the storm to prevent further damage. Shingles/Roofing Material have a rating based on the size/severity of the wind/hail/storm damage it can take.
  • Install exterior siding on your house that can withstand this type of storm. Vinyl siding is fairly easy to blow off or get damaged by hail. However, hardiboard, stucco, brick or stone can withstand much more. There are all kinds of new and improved construction material available now, talk to a contractor or your local hardware store to find out what’s available.

What if I don’t have time to do those things and a storm is approaching,are there some things to do beforehand to prepare?

Some of the above things take a lot of money to do, or installing them on a finished home is hard to do. So you can’t always install those items, here are some quick tips on what to do when a storm is enroute.

  • Secure the Perimeter – Fasten down any loose equipment, move items indoors, remove any large trees or limbs that could damage any of your buildings or vehicles during a storm.
  • Fuel up – Make sure you have generators, equipment, fireplaces all fueled up with wood, gas and propane in case there is a long lasting power outage. Especially in the Saskatchewan Winter.
  • Protect the glass – you can purchase windstorm shutters, that are pre-fitted. These will help with preventing broken windows.
  • Backup/disconnect electronics – power surges can occur during storms make sure you have surge protectors installed or your electronics are disconnected.
  • Flood prevention – with most storms, comes a lot of rain. Make sure you have proper drainage, sump pumps, extended eavestroughs and remove any valuables off the floor in case this can’t keep up with the water.
  • Chemicals / Gas – Make sure any harmful chemicals or gas lines are disconnected in case of a breakage or some reaction that can occur during a storm.
  • Having a Plan – One of the biggest items on the list, is being ready and having a plan to carry out all these items above.
  • Understanding your Insurance Policy – Whether it’s for your business, farm, home or vehicles; make sure you understand the coverage you have beforehand. These policies are designed to protect you, but there are many different packages, deductibles and endorsements, and it is important to know what you have covered in the even that something terrible happens.

As always, we want you to enjoy this summer to the full potential. Protect yourself from the elements we cannot control; and to be as safe and prepared as possible. Have a great summer!

*Photo credit goes out to local photographers in Saskatchewan who posted publicly on Twitter. Thank you! 🙂

 

Saskatchewan Summer Storms

In the Province of Saskatchewan, wind is a part of everyday life. However, the frequency of the recent storms we’ve been having, are not. These storms have brought tornado warnings, plow winds, hailstorms and torrential downpours. With these severe risks, we need to make sure we are properly covered so that if one of these events hits us close to home or by the lake, we are properly covered.

Most basic insurance home policies include the wind and hail perils automatically, but there are some coverages that may be available to top up your policy. An insurance company  is responsible to repair or replace the damage to your house. If hail and wind damage one side of your dwelling, they will fix that side. However as siding and shingles age over time, the new material may not match the remaining three sides that were left undamaged. SGI Canada has a Prestige policy which removes this “obsolescence clause” to help cover those remaining 3 sides to make sure your house goes back to the way it was designed to be. This is normally not covered under most home policies. There are some requirements to qualify for Prestige coverage, so please contact our office if this would interest you.
With these thunderstorms, there may be a lot of water that comes with it. MMFI, SGI Canada and Wawanesa have created Flood/Water Protection coverages to help protect you from a flooding situation. This never used to be covered, but now you can buy this new coverage. Insurance companies also recommend installing automatic sump pumps and backwater valves in your main sewer line to prevent water claims. These preventative measures may result in a potential discount on your policy. The rates/eligibility will vary depending on your location; but with the recent flooding in Lloydminster, Calgary, High River, it may be worth looking into. Contact us to see what’s available for you.

As for your vehicles, it is important to always carry a package policy. The main reason is to carry a higher liability limit in case there was ever an injury or serious collision. The other reason is to have a reduced deductible in the event of a loss. Some of the plow winds up north have caused a ton of damage to people’s campers, trailers, boats and their trucks and cars. If you had to pay a $700 deductible for each of those losses, it would end up being quite expensive, but if you have a package policy, your deductible can be as low as $50 for that type of situation. Please ask us about an auto pak policy to help make an auto claim a little bit easier. These extension policies will also cover the vehicle and trailers during the winter months while they are in storage. For as little as $5 a month for a cabin trailer policy; it is worth looking into. Give us a call so we can help you out.

Summer storms can be volatile and you need to be prepared in the event that a storm occurs near your house or while you’re on vacation. If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to contact our office.