IBC Commends Goderich Comeback One Year after the Tornado

Witness the re-building of Goderich through before and after photos

TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - One year ago on Sunday, August 21^st, 2011, an F3 tornado hit Goderich Ontario, severely damaging the historic downtown and homes in the surrounding area.   One person died and dozens of others were injured in the aftermath.

According to data collected by Property Claim Services Canada (PCS-Canada), thousands of claims were filed, amounting to more than $110 million in insured losses.   PCS-Canada is a service that tracks insured losses arising from catastrophic events in Canada.

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) was on the ground immediately after the tornado, deploying its Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion (CAMP) to help residents and businesses that were affected by the tornado.  CAMP is one of a number of initiatives by Canada's home, car and business insurers to help Canadians cope with, disasters. The national program provides disaster victims with on-site, quick-response, insurance-related information.

"We commend the residents of Goderich for their courage and commitment to rebuild the community," said Ralph Palumbo, IBC's Vice-President of Ontario.  "Our role was to provide timely and accurate information for people at the time they needed it most."

If there are residents  with questions about their policies - they can call IBC's Consumer Information Centre - 1-800-387-2880.

IBC also prepared the following materials:

http://www.getintheknow.ibc.ca/blog/goderich_rising_one_year_later/
(before and after pictures of Goderich)

http://youtu.be/9RULEK53lI4 (on the aftermath of the Tornado)

http://youtu.be/h3z50ZX_RMM (emergency preparedness tips to educate people on what to do in the event of a Tornado)

Finally, IBC has posted helpful information on its website including the brochure, Getting Ready: A Guide to Emergency Preparation, http://www.ibc.ca/en/home_insurance/documents/brochures/disasterprep_brochure_en.pdf

There is also an online home inventory checklist available that homeowners can use to help them record their possessions: http://www.ibc.ca/en/Home_Insurance/documents/brochures/Home_Inventory.xls

About Insurance Bureau of Canada
Insurance Bureau of Canada is the national industry association representing Canada's private home, car and business insurers. Its member companies represent 90% of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance market in Canada. The P&C insurance industry employs over 114,000 Canadians, pays more than $7 billion in taxes to the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and has a total premium base of $40 billion.

To view media releases and information, visit the media section of IBC's website at www.ibc.ca and for IBC on Twitter follow @insurancebureau.

SOURCE: INSURANCE BUREAU OF CANADA

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:

Helen Lialias 
Media Relations Officer
Insurance Bureau of Canada
416-362-2031 ext. 4312
[email protected]