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A rampant nor’easter is set to smash the East Coast of America and Canada with heavy snow, plummeting temperatures and gale force winds by the end of this week.
Winter Storm Quinn has already made its presence felt in the central Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, dumping significant snowfall through Sunday and Monday. The winter storm is now moving east towards the Atlantic, where it’s expected to cause havoc in Quebec and New Brunswick as well as Northeastern states of the US.
The Northeast is being told to prepare for damages, power outages and widespread travel chaos. Insurers in the affected areas have also ramped things up a notch, providing advice to concerned residents and travellers, and preparing for the claims onslaught that’s likely to blow in.
“At Generali Global Assistance, we’ve had a number of queries about travel insurance coverage to protect against Winter Storm Quinn,” said Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance. “We often find people book trips without travel insurance coverage, and when they become aware of a named storm, they ask if they can purchase insurance to cover storm-related losses.
“The unfortunate reality is, once a storm is named – whether it’s a hurricane or a winter storm – it becomes very difficult to purchase travel insurance related to that storm. Some travel insurance policies do include a ‘cancel for any reason’ clause, but those are extremely rare.”
It’s not all bad news. Most travel insurance policies do cover weather-related losses, Carnicelli explained. Travellers simply need to purchase the policies before an adverse event like Storm Quinn becomes foreseeable – aka named and famed.
Travellers with pre-purchased insurance should be able to claim for most unforeseen weather-related losses, including delays and interruption, that aren’t reimbursed by airlines or hotels. However, they should still double check their policies as the variables between providers are sometimes significant, according to Carnicelli.
“If a traveller’s trip is interrupted as a result of an adverse weather event, like Winter Storm Quinn, I would always advise them to get in touch with their insurance provider to talk through their coverage,” he added. “The provider is there to help. They can give advice around insurance coverage, medical issues, and they will assist with rebooking and finding alternative accommodation.
“Our main message in light of Winter Storm Quinn is that travellers are better off purchasing travel insurance when they book their trip. Don’t wait until after a storm is named and then attempt to panic buy a policy. Unfortunately, that doesn’t often work.”
