Natural disasters were a wake-up call

It’s not enough to simply focus on recovery from the recent natural disasters that Albertans have faced, including the wildfire that hit Fort McMurray last year. Now we need to focus on how we can better protect people before the next disaster strikes.

Alberta was the hardest hit province in 2016, with a number of severe storms. One hailstorm and severe rainfall event that struck central Alberta in July 2016 resulted in $52 million dollars in insurer support to customers.

And more can be expected. The Government of Canada has warned that climate change will continue to impact the way rain, snow and ice fall in unusual ways. When you look at annual extreme weather events by province, it’s clear that Alberta is where flood mitigation efforts need to be focused.

The recent announcement by the Alberta Government of $13.4 million for flood mitigation infrastructure is welcome news for homeowners and businesses in Calgary. It’s also worth noting the federal government also announced $75 million in new funding in its recent budget for local governments to address climate change — including flood infrastructure.

The 2013 floods in Alberta were devastating but served as a wake-up call to homeowners, government, insurers and communities about the need for real solutions to increasing severe weather after more than $1.7 billion in claims support was provided. Greg Somerville is president and chief executive of Aviva Canada