More than half of Canadians aren’t prepared for winter emergencies: RSA survey

An RSA Canada survey has founded that more than 55% of Canadians are not prepared for winter emergencies.

“Most people will change to winter tires and get their snowbrushes out, but very few think about what they’ll do in case of an emergency situation,” Anthony Black, RSA Canada’s natural catastrophe manager, said in a media release. “Whether there’s a snowstorm, flash freeze or extreme cold weather warning, we need to prepare both our vehicles and our homes for any surprise scenario.”

Related: RSA Canada deploys Guidewire ClaimCenter claims management system

The survey found that Quebecers are the least prepared (61%), followed by British Columbians (60%) and Ontarians (55%).

More than 40% of respondents said they didn’t think they would be impacted by severe weather. Almost 25% said they didn’t know how to make an emergency plan, or what to put in an emergency kit. (RSA has released a video explaining how to prepare an emergency bag.)

Out of the Canadians polled who had previously experienced a winter emergency, 60% regretted not preparing food in advance or having batteries, a blanket and/or an emergency plan in place. Twenty percent wish they had packed a shovel or other snow-related items.

The survey, conducted by Google Consumer Surveys, polled 1,000 Canadians online between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28, 2017.

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This story was originally published by Canadian Insurance Top Broker.