VANCOUVER — Intense flooding that hit British Columbia’s coast last month resulted in insured damage claims of more than $110 million.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says insurers have been working with clients for the past few weeks since the Category 4 atmospheric river caused “significant flood damage” to Metro Vancouver properties in Coquitlam, Burnaby, West Vancouver, North Vancouver and Surrey.

The office says intense rain and winds — which triggered a local state of emergency in North Vancouver on Oct. 20 — led to overflowing rivers, sewer backups and flooding on roads, in parking lots and basements.

It says that while some residential flood insurance is available, it may be limited or inaccessible to some, forcing them to rely on government disaster financial assistance for their recovery.

About 10 percent of Canadian households do not have access to flood insurance, and the bureau is once again calling on the federal government to “fully fund” the National Flood Insurance Program.

It says a national program would provide financial protection to high-risk households and reduce disaster costs to federal and provincial government treasuries.

“Rather than responding with disaster financial assistance, this program would provide a proactive, cost-effective approach to managing financial consequences in the event of a disaster,” the office said in a news release.

“Even though the federal government is committed to creating it, the program has not yet been fully funded. »

It says insured weather-related losses in Canada now regularly exceed $3 billion a year and a new record was set this year, reaching more than $7.7 billion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 15, 2024.

Brianna Charlebois, The Canadian Press