Vanessa Big Eagle, a band councilor overseeing housing for the Pheasant Rump Nakota First Nation, experienced damage to her own home due to severe weather conditions. Recounting the event, she mentioned that although their community is accustomed to extreme weather, the winds in May were particularly intense, causing damage to 23 out of 54 homes in the area. Vanessa’s own house suffered significant roof damage, making it one of the most affected properties.
She has been processing insurance claims for the homes managed by the First Nation, with many properties still in need of repair. As a result, one family had to relocate to a hotel due to the damages incurred. Vanessa expressed concerns about the recurring nature of such weather events, questioning whether these occurrences should now be factored into their annual budget planning.
Recent data indicates a surge in insured losses in Saskatchewan due to severe weather, potentially leading to increased insurance premiums. Last year, Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. reported that Saskatchewan recorded the highest dollar amount of insured losses from severe weather events, reaching $450 million, the highest since data collection began in 2008.
Notably, extreme winds in June resulted in the most significant insured losses in the province, totaling $240 million, followed by last summer’s northern wildfires. Laura Twidle, the President and CEO of Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., highlighted the exceptional severity of the past two years in terms of insured losses.
Jason Thistlethwaite, a professor at the University of Waterloo, emphasized how even individuals with undamaged properties could be impacted by the rising insured losses. He suggested a shift towards proactive measures to prevent property damage, rather than focusing solely on post-disaster recovery efforts, to mitigate future risks effectively.
In response to the increased demand for repairs following extreme weather events, repair companies like Leeway Mechanical Inc. in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, are witnessing a surge in service requests. Duane Lee and Allison Thompson, the company owners, noted a significant increase in workload due to weather-related damages, such as water pumping from basements and roof repairs.
Similarly, restoration company Fire & Flood reported a rise in calls for assistance, particularly in response to basement flooding incidents caused by adverse weather conditions. The operational manager, Chris Kaban, highlighted the impact of severe weather on their business, leading to an expansion of their workforce to address the growing demand for restoration services.
Overall, the continuous onslaught of severe weather events in Saskatchewan is not only affecting individual properties but also influencing the insurance landscape, prompting a reevaluation of risk management strategies to address the escalating challenges posed by extreme weather conditions.