Earthquake Insurance helps rebuild

Adding More to Earthquake Preparedness

Do you have an earthquake kit ready in your closet, by your front door, or under your bed? If you’ve got one ready to grab, you’re already a big step ahead of many Canadians! Recently, the Insurance Bureau of Canada ran a poll to better understand how Canadians feel about earthquakes. Here are a few key results:

  • Canadians in vulnerable zones see an earthquake as a valid, but far-off possibility.
  • More than two-thirds of respondents said they don’t have earthquake insurance and 70% of these respondents in British Columbia said it’s because they don’t think an earthquake will strike their area.
  • Two-thirds of British Columbia respondents said they were confident about being financially ready for an earthquake and yet only 31% reported having earthquake insurance. Many consumers mistakenly believe that their regular home insurance will help them recover. (It doesn’t cost a lot more per month when added to your home insurance through BCAA, so really there’s no excuse!)

If you’d like to learn more about earthquake insurance, it’s never too early to do the research and get yourself informed.

If you’ve already got both a kit and insurance but you’re keen to do more, consider becoming an earthquake preparedness “evangelist” or think outside the box and consider adding some “extra” items to your kit. Here are a few examples:

  • Copies of important keys
  • Second pair of glasses
  • Sturdy shoes under your bed
  • Extra layers in case it’s mid-winter and freezing outside
  • Hair ties
  • Chapstick
  • Paper money
  • Fire extinguisher under your bed (fires often pop up after earthquakes as gas lines, water pipes and electrical lines tip over or break)
  • A wrench, mostly useful if you know how to turn off the gas valve in your house

Of course, you also want to consider what you’ll be able to carry. But if you’re not going anywhere, having a number of items like these under your bed—items that you’ll want to grab quickly—will allow you to create a safer space in your home or neighbourhood while you wait for help to arrive. You’ll also be more empowered to help others, and that is really a wonderful thing.

 -Content created by Sophie Wooding – Writer, gardener, cyclist and emergency preparedness enthusiast!

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