Insurance concerns mount as N.S. residents cope with wildfire destruction
Gina Gallant has lived in Hammonds Plains, N.S., for 28 years.
However, her family home was destroyed in the wildfires.
“It’s completely gone,” said Gallant, who is now processing, what will surely be, the biggest insurance claim of her life.
“We’re not sure. I’m covered and we can rebuild, or we can just, we have to have the property cleaned up.”
Gallant didn’t have pictures of the damage to share and she does not know what exactly to expect from a claim.
“I don’t have the answers,” said Gallant.
“This is all brand new to me. I’ve never been through anything like this before.”
Carol MacDougall lives in the same Highland Park area.
MacDougall’s home wasn’t destroyed, but she’s braced for a bad news scenario when it comes to potential damage to her property.
“We’re thinking possibly because the fire did destroy a house next to us and certainly there’s a lot of destruction around us as well,” said MacDougall.
Amanda Dean from the Insurance Bureau Canada has one simple piece of advice.
“Get that claim started,” said Dean, who added displaced residents should track all additional living expenses incurred after the fire, like hotel costs, rent and clothing.
“That insurer will then assign an adjuster to the file, who will ask a few very basic questions,” said Dean.
“Some insurers are looking for more details when it comes to contents. For example, itemizing items in your living room. Was there a TV, a sofa, a love seat or a coffee table?”
As for a timeline to receive money for a new home?
“We are talking months in this situation,” said Dean.
However, supply chain and labour shortages can cause delays in new home construction.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Happy tears' of victim's sister after prison attack on serial killer Robert Pickton
Cynthia Cardinal said she was 'overwhelmed' with happiness when she received a text message on Monday with the news that serial killer Robert Pickton, who murdered her sister, was attacked in prison. She called it 'karma.'
DEVELOPING Police investigating suspicious substance near U.S. Capitol
U.S. Capitol Police were investigating a suspicious substance Wednesday on a street near the Capitol and where the Republican National Committee headquarters are located, the police said in a statement.
Fish oil supplements may raise risk of stroke, heart issues, study suggests
As an excellent source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, daily fish oil supplements are a popular way to keep the risk of cardiovascular disease at bay.
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Thunderstorms with tornado risk in some areas in Ontario, snow elsewhere in Canada
Canadians can expect a mixed bag of weather, with forecasts warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and snow in some areas across western Canada.
opinion Joe Biden uses bully pulpit to bully Donald Trump on debates
Donald Trump had spent weeks needling U.S. President Joe Biden for his refusal to commit to a debate. But Washington political columnist Eric Ham describes how in one fell swoop, Biden ingeniously stole the issue from the Trump campaign and made it his own.
'All hell broke loose': Passengers on Singapore Airlines flight describe nightmare at 37,000 feet
Passengers on a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence on Tuesday described a sudden, dramatic drop as 'all hell broke loose' on board the Boeing airliner carrying 229 passengers and crew.
3 people dead after stabbing in Plateau-Mont-Royal: Montreal police
Three people are dead after they were stabbed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough Tuesday evening, police say.
Cybercriminals threaten to leak London Drugs data if it doesn't pay $25M ransom
Last month’s cyberattack on pharmacy and retail chain London Drugs that forced the closure of all its stores in Western Canada was orchestrated by a 'sophisticated group of global cybercriminals' who are demanding a ransom—and say they’ll leak the company’s data if it doesn’t pay up.