Rain, Wind, and Fire: Reducing risk and learning from experience in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dan Sandink, Director of Research FOCA, Toronto, October 27 2018

Rain, Wind, and Fire:

Reducing risk and learning from experience in Ontario’s Cottage Country

• Reducing risk at lot-level, largely

straight-forward measures

• Brief overview of measures and

resources:

• Rain – flood
• Wind/tornado
• Wildland fire
• Advice from insurers in Ontario’s

cottage country

• Content often drawn from urban

areas, but relevant for small/residential buildings

Topics

Image: Windsor Star Image: CBC News

Cottages are multi-generational!

Coverage cost would be low, but they’re probably not interested These households are interested, but coverage cost would be high

Insurance Bureau of Canada, 2015

Ontario DRA program: “Secondary residences such as cottages are not eligible.”

Map: Grand River Conservation Authority

• In Ontario: Limit

development in defined flood hazard areas, with exceptions

• In US: Many standards,

guidance documents available - “stay out of it or stay above it”

Property-level riverine & coastal flood mitigation

38 64 120 20 40 60 80 100 120 5 yr 100 yr

• Aug. 4 '14

~120 mm in 2 hrs, ~200 mm over 8 hrs (Duong/Halton, 2016)

Burlington, August 2014

Burlington August 2014 – A.R. via The Weather Network Toronto City Stn.

2016 to 2018 – extreme rain, flood related cat events

Saskatoon to Thunder Bay, June 2016 50 mm (up to 90 mm total) in 3 hrs (Thunder Bay), 44 mm (Estevan), 140 mm, 303 mm/hr (West Hawk Lake), 104 mm (Killarney, MB), 60 mm (Grandview, MB) Estevan to Edmonton, July 2016 ~130 mm in 2 hrs (100 yr: 69 mm over 2 hrs) (Estevan, SK), 49 mm (Clearwater, MB), 86 mm (Lloydminster, SK), 89 mm (Yorktown/area) Windsor area, September 2016 106 mm in Windsor, 190 mm in Tecsumseh (100 yr: 110 mm over 24 hrs) Atlantic Canada, October 2016 Matthew Remnants (~225 mm in Sydney NS) Southern ON and QC, April 2017 30-40 mm (parts of S. ON/QC, Apr. 4), 50-85 mm (parts

• f S. ON/QC, Apr. 5-7), 70-85 mm in Montreal

Eastern Canada, May 2017 Riverine Flood - 155 mm (May 5 and 6, Crowe Brook, NB) Windsor area, Ontario, August 2017 190-290 total accumulation (100 mm at Windsor airport), ~6,000 flood complaints ON/QC, October 2017 Remnants of TS Phillipe (inc. 112 mm in Ottawa, 74 mm in Kingston) ON/QC, February 2018 Riverine flooding (76 mm in Lucknow, ON)

June 24-25 2016 – Thunder Bay area 303 mm/hr West Hawk Lake (MB)

I2017; City of Winsor, 2017, CatIQ 2017/2018 Image: Global News

CSA Z800-18: Basement Flood Protection

Also, “miscellaneous” causes of flooding (private-side):

• Failure of sump systems
• Failure of lateral connections
• Flooding associated with improper

installation, operation, maintenance of flood protection devices

Images: ICLR Graphics: CSA Z800-18/ICLR 2009

To the extent possible, keep water away from the structure

Windows, window wells, below grade entranceways, reverse slope driveways Address leakage Backwater protection Eavestroughs, downspouts Lot grading, swales, backfill capping Lateral inspections, repair, replacement, materials Foundation drain disconnect, sump Downspout disconnect, extension, splash pads Protect home Reduce I/I Redundancies, backup power Both of the above

Image: G. Kopp 2009

Map adapted from Sills et al. 2012

Increasing High Wind Safety for Canadian Homes

• Focus on low-rise residential
• EF2 – 200 km/h (est.)

Images: G. Kopp, UWO

EF2 Damage

Images: G. Kopp 2009; 2014, UWO

Some key vulnerabilities

• Roofs
• Structural
• Non-structural

Dixon, C.R., D.O. Prevatt, F.J. Masters, and K.R. Gurley, 2013. The unsealing of naturally aged asphalt shingles: An in-situ survey. 1st Residential Building Design & Construction Conference – February 20-21, 2013 at Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, PA. Kopp 2014 – Angus ON Tornado

Some key vulnerabilities

• Roof-to-wall connections
• Inspections & construction

Images: G. Kopp, Vaughan, Angus Tornadoes; Testing at Insurance Research lab for Better Homes

Images: Morrison et al. 2014

Images: Morrison et al. 2014

Some example alternatives

Photo: G. Kopp

Hip roof, framed with trusses Wind rated shingles/secondary water barrier Sheathing and fastening patterns Enhanced roof-to-wall connections Transfer load to foundation (e.g.,

• verlapping rim joist)

Anchor bolts

Uplift

Wood sheathing lapping sill plate Non-structural Structural

Washington Post, October 17 2018 IBHS Fortified Gold

Image: Calgary Herald

“…no one really appreciated or considered the massive concentration of values in such a remote location exposed to the peril of wildfire.”

Peter Hearn, President & CEO, Guy Carpenter (Oct. 2016)

After Kelowna, Slave Lake – often considered “one-off” by insurers Fort McMurray has changed their perspective Fort McMurray population: 67,000 $3.7 billion insured loss Globally significant event

• Increasing occupancy, use of wildland areas
• Exposure and ignition risk
• Historical emphasis on fire suppression
• Impacts on fuel loads
• Climate change
• 2 to 5.5X increase in annual area burned

(boreal region) by 2100 for Canada and Alaska

• More emphasis on “FireSmart” practices,

municipal & public participation in risk reduction

Sources: CCFM 2005; de Groot et al. 2013; Flannigan 2012; Flannigan et al. 2005; Balski et al. 2009

Wildland fire

Lot-level wildland fire risk reduction

Fort McMurray 2016

Post-event application of FireSmart assessment:

• 81% of surviving homes were rated L – M

(i.e. FireSmart)

• 2/3 of burned homes rated extreme
• Vegetation a major contributor to hazard

Images: Examples from Kelowna, 2015 – Westhaver 2015

• Example 1a/non-combustible

zone: Ground covers, tidiness (e.g., gas cans, lawnmowers, debris), fences, furniture, door mats, etc.

Property-level factors

Westhaver 2016 Quarles 2017/University of California Cooperative Extension

Upcoming resource

• NRC WUI Fire Technical

Committee

• NRC Guideline, leading to a

Code for Canada

• High water levels (2017): Damage to

breakwalls, some flooding

• Boats being pushed, lifted off, banging on side
• f boat lifts, damage to lifts themselves

(observed in Lake Simcoe, Muskoka areas)

• Boats hitting ceilings in boat houses

(Muskoka)

• Storms overwhelming docked boats, causing

them to sink

• Damage to docks, docks becoming dislodged

and bumping into other docks during flood conditions

• Debris floating in water

Insurers’ observations: Ontario cottager claims

“Boaters and cottagers are keeping their boats in longer…they leave their boats in until Thanksgiving, and then they can’t get them out because the lake has been drained...you come back and there’s a sandbar 40 feet out blocking your boat.” – ~$15K claims

• Discussions with industry experts: Lake Simcoe, Muskoka,

Kawarthas, Ottawa areas

• Understand how high water could potentially get on your

shoreline – adjust/build docks and breakwalls to suit highest likely water levels

• Manage risk of debris in water:
• Move items on your property above expected high water

level, docks in need of repair a contributor to debris in water

• Boats:
• Don’t put boats in unless you are regularly using them, or

have a dependable neighbour, marina (>1 week away)

• Bilge pumps and batteries
• Bellows (stern drive) – replace every 2 to 3 years
• Face bow into waves
• Use tonneau covers, take down convertible tops, etc.

Mitigation options (insurance perspective)

BoatTrader.com

dsandink@iclr.org www.iclr.org