Property insurance
Tornado preparedness: A guide for Canadian homeowners
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- VIU resources
- Wind
- Property insurance
- Canada ranks second in the world for tornadoes, and knowing the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning could be the most important thing you do this storm season.
- Standard home insurance doesn't always cover wind and hail damage, so reviewing your policy and adding windstorm or overland flood coverage before a tornado hits is essential.
- Simple steps like bringing in outdoor furniture, trimming weak tree branches and designating a reinforced safe room can meaningfully reduce the risk to your home and your family.
- After the storm passes, knowing how to safely assess damage, help your neighbours and file an insurance claim can make the recovery process significantly less stressful.
Severe thunderstorms can produce dangerous lightning, hail, flash flooding and tornadoes. Tornadoes are most common in the Prairies (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and southern Ontario, but they've been reported in every province and territory, including southern Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada.
Environment and Climate Change Canada confirms roughly 60 tornadoes across the country every year, though researchers estimate the true number, including those that touch down in remote, sparsely populated areas and go unrecorded, may be well over 100. Fast, furious and indiscriminate, these catastrophic storms can cause irreparable damage in a matter of minutes. Canada ranks second in the world, behind only the United States, for the number of tornadoes it sees each year.
During a tornado, people face hazards from extremely high winds and risk being struck by flying and falling objects, warns the Public Health Agency of Canada. After a tornado, the damage left behind poses additional injury risks.
Although nothing can be done to prevent tornadoes, there are actions you can take to protect your health and safety. If you live in an area with a history of tornadoes, such as southern Ontario, the Prairies or southern Quebec, it's important to have the right property insurance policy that includes wind coverage for tornadoes, along with a safety plan that lets you take immediate action during a tornado watch or warning.
Minimize risk, insure prized possessions and protect yourself and your family
1. Know what you're up against
Tornadoes can uproot trees, destroy well-made structures and hurl objects through the air, causing life-threatening damage. Listen to local news and check the forecast regularly so you're alert to any warnings, and know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning:
A tornado watch indicates the possibility of thunderstorms producing a tornado. This is a time to review your safety plans and prepare emergency supplies.
A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted live or by weather radar. When this occurs, seek shelter immediately.
Signs that a tornado may be approaching include a rotating funnel-shaped cloud, a cloud of debris, a dark or green-coloured sky, large hail, and dark, low-lying clouds accompanied by a loud roar that sounds like a freight train.
To understand what tornadoes are capable of, look at the Enhanced Fujita Scale below. Environment and Climate Change Canada uses these guidelines to categorize tornadoes and estimate potential property damage:
2. Make sure your insurance policy includes coverage against wind and hail
There's no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the best homeowner insurance policy for tornado damage. Policies usually cover tornado damage, but you might not be covered for wind or hail, which often accompany tornadoes.
Carefully review your policy to find out if wind is a covered peril. Most homeowner insurance policies generally cover windstorm damage directly caused by wind or hail, but there are two additional kinds of wind damage deductibles:
- Hurricane deductibles – Apply to damage solely from hurricanes and post-tropical storms.
- Windstorm or wind/hail deductibles – Apply to any kind of wind damage.
If windstorm coverage is excluded from your policy, check with a VIU by HUB broker to determine what additional coverage may be available for your property. Homes in tornado- and windstorm-prone areas sometimes carry a special windstorm deductible, which is generally based on a percentage of the dwelling limit.
Stay on top of any special deductibles for wind-related losses, and make necessary adjustments, like raising the limits, so you're protected if your home is severely impacted. Damage caused by flooding that can result from tornadoes isn't typically covered under a standard policy, so you should also consider purchasing overland flood insurance.
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3. Prepare your home and your family as best you can
Your safety and that of your family always come first, but that doesn't mean you want to leave your house unprotected. With some time and planning, there are precautions you can take to minimize the risk of damage to your home.
Bring in any patio furniture or exterior items like barbecues and playsets. Depending on the intensity of the tornado, tacking down loose roofing and trimming dead or weak branches from trees will help protect your house. Trimming your trees has benefits beyond your roof and can help keep your home's frame safe as well. Insurance companies like to see these precautions, and beyond protecting your house in a tornado, they can even help lower your homeowner insurance premiums.
Environment and Climate Change Canada recommends designating a safe room in your home and reinforcing it when possible, ideally a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Public Safety Canada's Get Prepared website has guidance on reinforcing an interior room to provide better protection. Natural disaster relief experts also suggest keeping the following emergency supplies in your safe space:
- Flashlight and spare batteries
- Charged fire extinguisher
- Energy-dense foods such as trail mix, granola bars and dried fruit
- Blankets
- Water
- First aid kit
4. Have a safety plan in place for when a tornado strikes
Flying debris causes most tornado-related deaths and injuries. Keep yourself and your family safe from this danger by having a plan in place for where to meet for shelter, and pay close attention to any tornado watches and warnings issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
A basement, storm shelter or lower interior room without windows is the safest choice. Head there as soon as your area gets a tornado warning. Many casualties result from staying in a mobile home, so if you live in one, relocate to an alternative spot, such as a nearby building with a basement. Place an emergency kit in the designated room ahead of time.
Running practice drills with your family helps make sure everyone knows how to respond in the event of a tornado. And when at all possible, don't forget about your pets.
If you happen to be in a vehicle during a tornado, seek shelter as soon as possible. The best course of action is to drive to the closest shelter. If you can't make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your car and cover your head, or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.
5. Be careful when dealing with the aftermath
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes are possible during severe weather outbreaks. Stay tuned to local news while you take shelter, if possible, to get continuing updates on how the weather evolves.
When the coast is clear, take the following steps:
- Contact your family and loved ones – Let them know you're okay so they can help spread the word. Text messages or social media are more reliable forms of communication than phone calls.
- Assess the damage – After the threat of tornadoes has ended, check to see if your property has been damaged. When walking through storm damage, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and sturdy shoes. Contact local authorities if you see power lines down, and stay out of damaged buildings.
- Help your neighbour – If you come across people who are injured and you're properly trained, provide first aid until emergency response teams arrive.
Understand what you're covered for and where you might need more protection
If you rent your home and live in a tornado-prone area, protect your personal belongings by purchasing tenant/renters insurance. Both homeowners and tenants should also consider purchasing replacement cost value insurance, which reimburses you for lost or damaged items rather than compensating you based on the items' depreciated value. To best protect your vehicle, get a comprehensive auto policy, because liability insurance alone won't cover the potentially costly auto repairs that could result from a tornado.
Tornadoes shouldn't be taken lightly, but you can minimize danger and losses by putting safety procedures in place for you and your family, along with sufficient tornado insurance coverage for your home and vehicle. Call a VIU by HUB broker to make sure you've got the right property insurance coverage, and learn more about our tornado preparedness resources.
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