Insurance Bureau of Canada Offers to Help Alberta Flood Victims

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) is working overtime to field calls about insurance claims and emergency disaster relief available to flood victims in the wake of the Alberta floods that adversely affected so many communities in our province.

IBC Offers Free Advice to Flood-Stricken Albertans

IBC’s Consumer Information Centre has put on extra staff including underwriters and claims adjusters to field the many calls that are still coming in. Fritz Wortman, IBC’s Information Officer, says that Albertans affected by the floods will need to make claims against their insurance whether or not they think they are covered in order to qualify for Alberta Emergency Management Agency disaster relief funds. While the Agency does not require a letter of denial of claim immediately to release funds to those affected, they will need it eventually for their paperwork to prove that the claimants aren’t doubling up on funds with both the insurer and the Agency. If you want to call the IBC about your situation, you can call their hotline at 1-800-377-6378.

Alberta Emergency Management Agency Funding

There are two tiers of funding available for victims of the Alberta flooding. The first is available to people who were evacuated from their homes for seven days or more, and may have already been issued. The second tier is the funding mentioned above that will cover uninsurable damages. For more information on the funding, see the Agency’s page devoted to the 2013 Alberta floods.

First Foundation Also Offering Assistance For Filing Claims to Clients

If we’re yourinsurance broker, give us a call first before making the claim to your insurer and we’ll walk you through the process. As Wortman suggests, you must make claims even for items that you know you won’t be covered for in order to qualify for disaster relief funding from the province. Even though this is good advice, each situation is different and there may be some items unique to your specific situation that we should go through with you to ensure the best possible income for your future premiums and your immediate needs.

If you’re not one of our clients yet, and you’re dissatisfied with the responsiveness of your current insurance company, give us a call to find out how we can help you find a better insurance package.

The importance of having an insurance broker on your side in a major claim against your home insurance cannot be understated.

We know who to talk to at each of our insurers, and the finer points of what you need to put in a claim with each. We save you a lot of the legwork that’s usually associated with putting in a claim on your own with an insurance company. Contact us today for help or to find out more.