When severe weather events take place, not everything can be fixed overnight. There are only so many contractors and thousands of homes will likely need repairs ranging from major to minor.

‘It comes down to triaging and putting the insured in control of their claim and enabling them to make the decision on how they want to proceed,’ said Patricia Davis, national catastrophe manager, Crawford & Company (Canada).

‘That decision inevitably helps on the capacity side; it enables us to determine whether we need to use an insurer’s contractors, or perhaps the insured can engage their own contractor, or the insured may even wish to do some of the work themselves.’

So how do adjusters best communicate the process to consumers? Davis uses the hospital emergency room triage example when speaking to clients and reiterates some problems take precedence.

‘A roof blown off a house will need immediate attention, versus fixing a broken fence,’ she told CU. ‘We look at individuals’ needs on a case-by-case basis. Simply providing a cash settlement to someone who has mobility issues isn’t going to fix their roof.’