Insurance bureau pegs tornadoes' toll at $295M

The tornadoes that tore through the Ottawa-Gatineau region last month caused more than $295 million in insured damage to homes, businesses and vehicles, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said Monday. 

Six tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa-Gatineau area last month, destroying homes, toppling trees and snapping hydro poles across the region.

Residents in some areas are still trying to put their lives back to together. 

The bureau said insurance companies have sent reinforcements to Ottawa and Gatineau in the wake of the tornadoes to address the high number of claims from those affected. 

Insured losses exceeded $192 million in Ottawa and $102 million in Gatineau, the bureau said in a news release.

Check your policies

The insurance bureau is reminding homeowners to check their policies to find out what's covered and what's not. 

The bureau, which represents the majority of insurers in the country, warns "extreme weather conditions across Canada continue to highlight the financial costs of climate change for consumers and taxpayers." 

"The number of extreme weather events will continue to rise and people must understand the financial and physical risks to themselves and their families," said Pierre Babinsky, a spokesperson for the bureau in Quebec. "Better building codes, increased awareness of the risks and appropriate mitigation measures are necessary to make our communities resilient."

Last Friday, Quebec premier François Legault announced the province would pay $2 million to the Red Cross, adding to the $1.6 million the charity had already collected to help tornado victims.