British Columbia winter storm season underway

A post-remembrance day windstorm has served as a reminder that the British Columbia winter storm season is underway, and residents should be prepared for future severe storms, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) warns.
Roughly 90,000 B.C. Hydro customers were without power on Nov. 12, after the first windstorm of the season first made waves on the night of Nov. 11. The storm strengthened Nov. 12 and knocked down trees and hydro lines in its wake, CBC.ca reports.
At the height of the storm, roughly 196,000 customers were without power, a BC Hydro spokesperson told the CBC.ca. Many major ferry routes were cancelled during the storm.
It was too early to tell what the insured damages arising from the storm might be.
We are currently assessing the damage from the storm earlier this week. Lindsay Olson, IBCs vice president of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba said in a release. Everyone remembers the tough storms of last winter, which cost Cdn$135 million in insured damage. Most claims were for wind damage and sewer back-up.
According to a number of experts, increasingly stormy weather patterns are becoming the new norm, prompting insurers to urge policy holders to prepare for future storms in order to reduce potential for damages, Olson added.