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Aviva Canada, ICLR team up for free emergency preparedness mobile app


April 26, 2016   by Canadian Underwriter


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Aviva Canada has partnered with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) for the creation of a free emergency preparedness mobile app.

The free Plan & Protect app, announced on Tuesday, can be downloaded to mobile devices, where users will receive personalized information to help them prepare for natural disasters, including severe weather and earthquakes, Aviva Canada said in a media release.

iStock_000073337407_SmallNow available from the App Store and Google Play, the app is available in English or French and compatible with both Apple and Android devices in support of national Emergency Preparedness Week, which runs from May 1 to 7. For the first 10,000 app downloads, Aviva Canada will also donate $5 for each download to the Canadian Red Cross to help communities affected by disasters, Aviva Canada said in the release.

Once users download the app, they can easily create a profile and answer a brief set of questions that will determine their level of vulnerability to Canada’s five most common perils – floods, wildfires, severe wind, winter storms and earthquakes. All information is tailored to the user’s location by postal code and can be used to plan and prepare in case of an emergency, the release said. In particular, the app provides users with practical resources such as:

  • a personalized risk report that is specific to their location;
  • alerts and notifications tailored to their emergency needs;
  • useful tips and information that can be used to protect people and property in the event of a natural disaster; and
  • a customized list of items to include in their 72-hour emergency kit.

The Plan & Protect app can also store home and auto insurance policies, Aviva Canada said in the release. In the event of an emergency, users can access all app content and policy information without an Internet or data connection. Users will also receive vital information about what to do before, during and after an emergency as well as seasonal preparedness tips throughout the year.

Irene Bianchi, EVP national claims, Aviva Canada, said in the release that the insurer was excited to partner with ICLR to help people prepare for the unexpected. “Canadians who download the Plan & Protect app will have the information they need to protect their family and homes, even if Wifi isn’t available,” she said.

“We share a common goal with Aviva Canada – to protect Canadians and educate them about disaster prevention and emergency preparedness,” said Glenn McGillivray, managing director of ICLR, in the release. “We’re proud to be involved in a partnership that will help Canadians and provide them with the information they need to prepare for natural disasters, whether caused by a severe storm or a devastating earthquake. Together we can control the damage caused by natural hazards and build more resilient communities.”

According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s 2015 Fact Book, for the past six consecutive years, insured losses caused by large natural catastrophes have been around or over $1 billion. By comparison, insured losses averaged $400 million a year over the 25-year period from 1983 to 2008.


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1 Comment » for Aviva Canada, ICLR team up for free emergency preparedness mobile app
  1. Robert Muir says:

    The Flood vulnerability is wrong for my area. I ran the app for my house where I’ve lived 47 years with no sewer back-up and where the City of Toronto Class Environmental Assessment report (Area 32) shows no clusters of reported flood incidents in my area – I am also on a low risk elevation area (top of the old Lake Iroquois shoreline with effective overland and infrastructure slope downstream), and above the influence of the Kenilworth Tank that caused back ups way way south of me and 50 metres lower down the hill toward Lake Ontario – and I’m on sandy dry soil (the old shoreline), and away from any overland flow accumulation paths. So my risk IS LOW – that’s a fact. But the app says MODERATE to HIGH. This is not a question of broader postal code risks perhaps being wider because on my block we have the same risk conditions and the City’s Class EA shows no flood incidents on my street / postal code. One has to seriously question the science or data that goes into the app to assess the risk. It seems like more broad brush characterization of all City properties regardless of real data and risks. Maybe the app uses big blobs of forward sorting areas to group locations regardless of individual risk?

    Otherwise good tips on risk reduction and thanks Aviva for the Red Cross donation with the app download – that is super. But the flood risk part of the app is not worth it. If this is based on simple proximity to ‘blue lines’ on a topo map like some insurance service provider promote, there is really no value in the Flood assessment part of the app.

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