The time to prepare is NOW –
once the big one STRIKES it will be too late.
Your family is counting on you!
Answering your Earthquake Preparedness
Questions
By Jackie Kloosterboer – Speaker,
Trainer,
Author – My Earthquake Preparedness Guide
Easy to follow steps with lots of checklists to help you get prepared!
WEEK 15 QUESTION: Why have Insurance – Why have earthquake insurance?
Each year I respond to approximately
30 house and apartment fires to help people and pets who have been impacted.
This is done as part of the Emergency Social Services (ESS) program. ESS is a
team of dedicated volunteers around our province who are trained to help evacuees
during times of disaster. Other parts of
Canada and the US have this role filled by Red Cross volunteers.
Responding to house and apartment
fires I can’t tell you how many times I have arrived on scene to find out that
the people who have been burned out of their homes don’t have insurance and in
many cases are now homeless. Even if the fire wasn’t in your unit you can be displaced for a few days and often for longer. Some fires I have been involved with people have been out for 7 months. Of course ESS will help them but only for the initial 72 hours. After the 72 hours these evacuees are on their own. Then what are they to do?
A cold wet November night I arrived
on-scene at 3:37am to an apartment fire. The flames were jumping out of the
windows and I knew then – many of these residents would be out for a long
time. I checked in with the fire
department and they directed me to the 8 families who were displaced huddled
together. Puzzled, cold and bewildered – they just didn’t know what to do or where to turn.
I walked over and the first family I
spoke to was a Mom and Dad with two elementary school aged children. Absolutely
everything they owned in their apartment was gone. The fire had started in the
unit next to them but had quickly engulfed their apartment. Needless to say they were devastated.
What were they to do – they had
essentially lost everything – photos, clothes, school backpacks and laptops - just
to mention a few key items they relied upon.
Talking to the Mom – through tears she
explained they had just moved into the apartment 3 days ago and she hadn’t yet had
time to purchase their insurance – they were from out of town and she had been busy getting the kids settled
in their new school and the hundreds of other tasks you need to complete when
moving into a new community. Purchasing
insurance was on the long “to-do” list but unfortunately they never got to it.
Fortunately
the rest of the families that lived in the apartment ESS assisted that
evening had insurance or they were able to return to their units as they had
not sustained any significant damage.
But for the
one family they had 3 nights in a hotel then what – where would they live, what
about furniture, what about shoes and clothing and what about school – there were
so many new challenges they had to face.
If only they
had had insurance their life after this disaster would have been much easier. The
insurance company could have helped look after them.
The next day
I returned to the apartment building and the family without insurance were
carrying a few items out they had been able to rescue from their back patio along with clothes that had been on a drying rack on the patio. The smell of smoke
was incredibly strong, but his was all that was left after the fire.
The families
with insurance were being looked after by the restoration company and all their
belongings were being taken care of by the restoration company or being replaced
depending on their situation.
What a
difference it makes when you have insurance. My heart went out to the family I
was assisting. If only they purchased their insurance policy.
Another
apartment fire I responded to with my ESS Team was in a very affluent part of
the city. In my mind I assumed all of the residents would have insurance as the
apartments they lived in were expensive. That was definitely a bad call on
my part – unfortunately many did not have insurance.
What was unfortunate
was - many of the residents who owned these apartments did not speak English
and did not understand what was included in their strata fees or Homeowner Fees.
They all paid their monthly strata fees and these fees included insurance but
what they didn’t realize was the insurance the strata fees covered was the
building insurance and not the contents the residents owned. To have their
contents covered by insurance they need to have purchased a different insurance policy to cover their contents.
Again – many
people lost everything simply due to a misunderstanding. The point here is make
sure you have a clear understanding of what your insurance covers and what it doesn’t
cover. You must know this before facing any sort of disaster from a house
fire to a massive earthquake.
Now – let me
tell you an expert in insurance I am not – earthquake preparedness yes I will
claim to be an expert but not insurance. What I encourage all of you to do is read
your insurance policy and see what it covers or talk to the company who sold
you the insurance and ask them the specific questions you have relating to
your insurance.
I checked
with a few of my neighbours in my strata and one thought he was covered by the
monthly strata fee and 4 others had no idea if they had earthquake insurance
with their insurance policy. One thought earthquake insurance was already included in his policy.Earthquake insurance is not included in your regular insurance and needs to be added to your policy. There is an additional fee for earthquake insurance. I would encourage you to talk to your insurance company and make an educated decision before saying No to Earthquake Insurance.
If you live
in an area that is prone to flooding you should check with your insurance company to make
sure you are covered or not covered. You don't want to be facing a flood wondering if you are covered. find out before the flood happens. When you know then you can take steps to
better prepare yourself.
Over the
last few weeks in my weekly posts we went through many ways you can secure your furniture, your
hot water tanks and minimize the impact an earthquake could have to your home.
Make sure you have completed these important steps and also make sure you and
your family are carrying adequate insurance to better protect you.
You’re
Task for Week #15
- Check your insurance documents and make sure you have adequate insurance or check with your insurance company.
- If
you live in an area that can be impacted by earthquakes make an educated
decision if you should or should not have earthquake insurance.
- Make
your home safe. Refer to the last few weeks of my Blogs for steps to make your home resilient
to an earthquake. This can prevent unnecessary
damage to your home and also your family and pets.
Week 16 we will look at Earthquake Preparedness for your pets and some of
the important steps you need to take to ensure your pets are safe when facing an earthquake.
Have questions – don’t
hesitate to ask. Until next week – Stay safe and make sure you, your family and
pets are prepared for an earthquake or any disaster that may come your way.
As Always BE
PREPARED - NOT SCARED!
Jackie Kloosterboer - BIO
Jackie Kloosterboer has
been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more
than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to a variety of groups and
businesses. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across
Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.
As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist and an Instructor with the
Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching people how to
respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British
Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been
impacted by disaster.Contact Jackie to speak at your next group or business event to help you, your family, your staff and pets get prepared for earthquakes or whatever disaster comes your way. Jackie will lead you through the necessary steps helping you identify what is important to you and your family or business.
Contact Jackie with any questions or to book her for your next event at jackie@survive-it.ca or call (604) 355-2414
Jackie is available for:
Earthquake Preparedness
Presentations
Preparedness Plans
In-Home Walk-Throughs
Preparedness Kits
Media Interviews
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