How Northbridge supports your business during extreme weather events

Business owners have a lot on their plates. Unfortunately, now businesses have to be worried about climate-related risks as well. In 2023 alone, more than $3.1 billion was paid in claims related to natural catastrophes in Canada. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the last six years has seen some of the highest severe weather losses on record. This large number of claims is sadly expected to keep rising, as catastrophic events get worse and worse.

Alfred DeSousa, VP of Claims Field Services here at Northbridge Insurance, states that “the growth in extreme-weather events puts pressure on insurers to be faster and more efficient in reaching policyholders whose businesses have been disrupted by wildfires, floods, or storms.”

“We aim for a first-in-first-out response,” he says. “That means always having a team ready to go, so we get boots on the ground as quickly as possible to respond to customers.”

Our commitment to our customers

An example of Northbridge’s commitment to quickly responding to customers during an extreme weather event occurred during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. 88,000 Albertans were forced from their homes, and 2,400 buildings were destroyed.

“When the town was first notified to evacuate, we were positioned in Edmonton to meet with customers as they arrived, providing them with emergency funds,” DeSousa says.

“During the evacuation period, they calculated customers’ estimated business losses and, on the first day residents were allowed to return, a team of eight adjusters were sent to Fort McMurray at 3 a.m. We were one of the first teams allowed in and were ready to meet customers by 7:30 a.m.”

Another catastrophic event that Northbridge responded to as quickly as possible was Hurricane Fiona, which devastated many parts of Atlantic Canada in September 2022.

“The hurricane hit on a Saturday; within 24 hours I was part of a team of adjusters who set up in a Halifax hotel, meeting with customers,” DeSousa says. “We were trying to get a picture of the damage done and looking at who was hit hardest. Gathering that information as quickly as possible helps us settle claims faster.”

Further managing your business’’ risk

Unfortunately, you cannot prevent an extreme weather event. You can, however, be prepared for one. To further mitigate and manage your business’ risk, we offer tips and advice on how to take preventative measures to build resiliency and help protect your property from climate change.

For example, one way you can do your part as a business owner is to prepare your property for earthquakes, tornadoes, and other extreme weather by checking drainage and minimizing fire hazards on your property.

For more tips like the above on how you can prepare your business for a catastrophic event, you can visit our blog.

Our claims promise

We make it our utmost priority to provide our customers with an effective and efficient claims response, and are excited to see that our efforts are being recognized by both the insurance industry and our loyal customers.

This year, we were pleased to be awarded with Insurance Business Canada’s Five-Star Claims Award. This award is based on interviews conducted with insurance brokers, who rated work quality, specialist expertise, and client service of insurers they had worked with over the past year.

“This award validates all of the hard work we’ve put into consistently providing a top-notch claims experience,” says Evan Di Bella, Senior VP of Claims. “Providing best-in-class service is more important to customers than ever, as the effects of climate change appear more frequently and take a greater toll.”

To learn more about our claims experience, visit our claims page, or watch our videos on how you can Re|CLAIM Your Business here.