Floodwaters in Quebec, Manitoba force evacuations

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Floodwaters in Quebec, Manitoba force evacuations

Could civil shut down prompt some coverage?

Terri Goveia on May 9, 2011

Families evacuated from flooded areas along Quebec’s Richelieu River might see some coverage if the military-led evacuations are considered a civil shut down.

Roughly 40 municipalities have been either wholly or partially flooded in the region, forcing some 3,000 residents from their homes. And though the waters-which have reached a metre over normal levels–are gradually subsiding, roughly three feet of water still remains, and will likely keep homeowners out of their residences for a month, says Serge Picard, branch manager at Cunningham Lindsey’s South Shore office.

Although homeowners are limited to $100,000 in provincial emergency assistance, they could see additional coverage if insurers view the military led-evacuations as a civil shut down, he says.

That’s what happened during the 1998 Ice Storm, which caused an estimated $2 billion in damages, and virtually shut down parts of the province for 45 days.

“Because the Prime Minister sent in the army, all the insurers provided coverage for the period of the shut-down,” Picard told Canadian Insurance Top Broker. “A civil shut down could be covered.”

For the flooded areas, each insurer would likely decide on their own whether to cover civil shut down expenses, which usually include additional living costs, such as hotel costs, for evacuees. But it’s not a guarantee.

“Some insurers will say no, because the trigger is a non-covered peril,” he notes.

Snow, wind and rain

Each year, the area gets minor flooding, but this year’s thaw was complicated by heavy snow melting in the Adirondacks.

“The problem wasn’t rain, it’s wind from the south, pushing water into Lake Champlain and to the Richelieu River,” says Picard. “In 48 hours, we got a metre of water [that's created] a big lake effect.”

Quebec isn’t the only region battling floodwaters. City officials in Brandon, Manitoba also ordered mandatory evacuation of roughly 900 homes near the Assiniboine River.

Military members have been called in to help raise dikes along the river between Portage La Prairie and Headingley. A weather system is expected to bring up to 50 mm of rain to southern Manitoba, adding to pressure from the spring melt and a storm last week, according to a May 8 provincial flood bulletin.

Calls to Manitoba’s Emergency Measures Organization weren’t returned at press time.

But the Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton told CTV News that the current water levels are historic.

“We’ve been dealing with upwards of 50 per cent more water than the flood record in 1976,” Ashton told the network Monday.