Insurance Bureau of Canada calling September storm, ‘likely the biggest tornado event in Canadian history’
Posted Oct 23, 2018 07:33:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Director of Consumer and Industry Relations with the IBC Ontario is calling the $295-million in total capital region tornado damage, unlike anything he's ever seen.
“From the damage that I saw up in Ottawa, it appears that this will likely be the biggest event related to tornadoes, in Canadian history,” explained Pete Karageorgos.
Three twisters touched down in the region, while another three hit just north of the area back on September 21.
More than 14,000 insurance claims have been made in the aftermath, and Karageorgos expects that number to rise.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada says the tornadoes in Dunrobin and Arlington Woods caused more than $192-million in damages to homes, businesses and vehicles, while more than $102-million was reported in the Gatineau area.
Karageorgos added that the IBC expects these extreme weather incidents to get worse in the future.
“Since 2009, it's about $1-billion a year, across Canada, of damage as a result of severe weather events,” he said. “And that's 2009 — that jumped up from previous years where it was about $400,000 a year.”
This year, Ontario alone is set to surpass the $1-billion mark.
