Insurance adjusters in high demand as flood cleanup begins

Insurance adjusters are fanning out across the region to handle the high volume of work as some of the 1,200 people affected across the Ottawa-Gatineau region begin filing their flood claims.

Michael Dacre, an insurance adjuster with Economical Insurance based in Ottawa, said there are so many claims it is hard to keep up.

"Too many to count at this point, the devastation is pretty widespread, across the city, across the region, pretty much across eastern Ontario," said Dacre.

On Thursday, Dacre was in rubber boots splashing around a flooded Constance Bay basement to assess the damage.

The owner of the home, Mike Demers, said his two sump pumps lost the battle against the tide of the water advancing through the basement.

Demers is one of the lucky ones because the flooding came from the basement and his insurance covers flooding from sewer and ground water.

But, if the water had come overland, he may not have been insured.

Most flood victims need provincial relief

The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates fewer than 15 per cent of Canadian home insurance policy holders have overland flood insurance which has only recently been available as an add-on to home policies.

The people in Ontario who are not covered by overland insurance will have to rely on the provincial disaster relief program.

Homeowners can make a claim for up to $250,000 to repair their property "to a basic standard" with the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians.

Residents can begin applying to the program once the province declares the region eligible — likely by the end of this month, said Mayor Jim Watson on Tuesday.

'Coverage of last resort'

Gatineau residents have already been making their claims to the province.

With thousands of private insurance claims to deal with flooded cars and basement flooding expected in Quebec, the province is now negotiating with its insurance regulator to allow private insurance adjusters from across the country to join their colleagues in Quebec to help with the work, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Retired insurance adjuster Ted Beauparlant on a tour this week of Pointe-Gatineau said many of the residents there will be eligible for the provincial relief. In Quebec if your home is declared a total loss, the province will reimburse its value up to $159,208, excluding the value of the land. Another $25,000 is available for demolition costs.

"But remember, this is meant to be a coverage of last resort," said Beauparlant, explaining it doesn't act like an insurance policy that fully replaces damaged basements and lost furniture and appliances.

He recommends carefully photographing the damage to your home and all your belongings before you throw them out.

"You don't want to get into a fight with a government official about your losses," he said.

Beauparlant said there will be some write-offs if the value of the damage exceeds the value of the home.

"There is a provision that says 'this is a total loss,'" said Beauparlant. "And then you have to think logically," he added.

He said homeowners may want to reconsider whether they want to continue reinvesting the money offered by the province back into rebuilding on that site.

"It's going to be noted as a house that floods, it's going to be hard to sell," said Beauparlant. 

"So maybe you should say to the government, 'Give me my money, and I'm gone.'"