Thursday, February 18, 2010

Earthquake Insurance for Canada

Article

Alright people!

With the backdrop of the devastation in Haiti fresh in people’s minds, New York insurance regulators are not ruling out a similar event in their own state, a key reason they say insurers should promote the opportunity to buy coverage for such a devastating occurrence.

Here's something I found for Canada.

Anyone who lives near a fault line - and that includes parts of British Columbia, the Ottawa Valley, and parts of Quebec, particularly around Montreal - should consider this coverage. But earthquake activity is not limited to those areas; Cornwall, Ont., and the Miramichi region of New Brunswick, not normally considered hot spots, make the list of the top 15 quake sites of the past century in Canada.

You have got to add Hamilton to that list! I do not have earthquake insurance on this house. I am a slacker! I should have had it on the old house.

You are in trouble if

-you have a beautiful restored old brick house
-your dishes actually rattle when a truck zooms by
-it's so easy to dig deep holes in your backyard
-you have settlement cracks in your brick
-marbles on your floor all roll to one side
-you live anywhere near Hamilton on a filled swamp

Get the earthquake insurance! You can expect 50 cm/s PGV, and about 5-10 cm of object displacement. Enough to knock down bricks.

Those of us who don't need insurance (don't have the above) should:

-learn how to repair drywall
-fasten down anything breakable
-don't put all your son's hockey trophies over his bed.
-use the damn fastening strap on those flimsy ikea bookshelves! (betcha don't!)

Expect drywall damage, 1-5 cm/s PGV, 1 cm object motion. Enough to spill your coffee, and knock down your Royal Dalton.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I live in north Burlington half way up the escarpment on hard red clay just below all that beautiful dolomite cap rock. How would we do in your expected scenario ( mag6.5-7.0).

Facinating site you have here by the way.

Harold Asmis said...

Probably the same as my house. If your contractor is sinking a tube hole for your pergola, and it throws 2 big men, then it is good stuff! Proceed to plan B on the chart. Somewhere around Hamilton is the dividing line between the hanging wall and the footwall. It is good to be on the footwall, but that's to the NW. See my earlier stuff listed in Geofish clarified.

Cory Young (@ottawainsurance on twitter) said...

Thanks for this post.

We try and promote this product (on our website at http://rhodeswilliams.com/insurance/products/earthquake-insurance.aspx , and in my latest blog post ("Please come a Callin’ before the ground starts a Rockin’! ) at http://www.passionforprotection.ca/ .

There has been some recent publicity in Ottawa on the need for Earthquake insurance. It is a tough sell though and not something most clients consider. I have it on my home, and wish more people were protecting themselves!