Fort McMurray News

Global Disasters During May to Cost Insurers at Least $7B: Aon Report

Global disasters led to at least $7 billion in claims during May as insurers aid the recovery process following wildfires, floods, and storms, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. An historic wildfire caused catastrophic damage in …

Disaster Recovery Firm Interstate Restoration Acquires Canada’s FirstOnSite

Interstate Restoration LLC, the Ft. Worth, Tex.-based disaster recovery company, has completed the acquisition of FirstOnSite Restoration G.P. Inc. in Canada. As Canada’s largest independent disaster restoration services provider with 35 branches across the country, FirstOnSite Restoration will continue to …

Canada ‘Needs to Do More’ to Mitigate Climate Disasters Such as Wildfires, Flood

The Canadian government needs to do more to mitigate climate disasters such as floods and wildfires, a top green watchdog said on Tuesday as the Alberta town of Fort McMurray struggled to recover from a huge inferno. Environment Commissioner Julie …

Canada’s Oil Sands Facilities Prepare to Restart as Wildfires Begin to Slow

All of the Canadian oil-sands facilities that workers fled last week as a wildfire spread are being allowed to prepare for restart as cool, humid weather has helped contain the inferno. Alberta lifted mandatory evacuation orders for the last of …

Climate Change Will Raise the Cost of Canada’s Natural Disasters: Insurers

Canada will have to set aside more money to deal with natural disasters like wildfires, storms and floods as climate change starts to bite, the head of the country’s property insurance industry group said on Wednesday. A wildfire sweeping through …

Alberta Wildfires Could Cost $7B with Minimal Insurer Credit Hit: Ratings Agencies

The Fort McMurray wildfires, which have been raging through northern Alberta, Canada since May 1, are likely to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history, according to recent reports issued by catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, rating company DBRS …

Alberta Wildfires Spread North, Threatening Oil Sands Facilities, Workers’ Camps

Wildfires raging across northern Alberta for more than two weeks have come to within a kilometer of an Enbridge Inc. oil-sands transportation terminal as warm weather and wind spread the flames, while workers were evacuated from camps north of Fort …

Alberta Wildfires Spare Almost 90% of Fort McMurray, Canada’s Energy Hub

The massive wildfires that swept through Canada’s energy hub of Fort McMurray left almost 90 percent of the city intact, including most of the downtown core, while completely leveling some neighborhoods. “This city was surrounded by an ocean of fire …

Alberta Wildfires Could Hit Canada Economy Harder than Hurricane Katrina in US

Intact Financial Corp. may post insured losses of as much as C$1.1 billion ($850 million) from the wildfires in Alberta, which could dent the Canadian economy harder than Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Intact, Canada’s biggest property and casualty insurer, …

Costly Alberta Wildfires to Hit Q2 Results; Insurers Are Resilient: Ratings Reports

While the wildfires raging through northern Alberta and the city of Fort McMurray could bring one of the largest catastrophe losses in Canadian history, property insurers are resilient, according to A.M. Best and Moody’s in separate reports. The fire has …