Insurance, mail and transit all impacted by September snow

While Fire and Enmax crews deal with broken trees and the power going out, multiple services in and around Calgary continue to be affected.

Insurance agents are starting to get calls from people seeking compensation for damage caused by falling tree limbs and branches.

Director of Government Relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada Heather Mack said residents will be compensated if a tree crashes into a home or onto a property.

“If a tree or a branch, something falls on your vehicle, you are covered if you have comprehensive insurance on your car, which most Albertans do have,” she said, “If a tree falls on your house or your fence, again that’s something that is generally covered under a homeowner’s policy.”

However, Mack said insurance policies don’t cover the cost of removing tree debris.

The Bureau said it’s too early to estimate how much damage the snow event has caused, but it does expect a lot of claims will be processed.

On the transit side, those who use buses and trains may be running late today, said Stephen Tauro with Calgary Transit.

“There are some delays out there on the system,” he said. “We’re just asking customers to be patient, add extra time to their travel time and know that we’re in it together.”

Tauro is urging riders to get up to date information on their Twitter account and on their website.

Canada Post is also experiencing problems and adds some mail may not be delivered today.

They also ask homeowners and business owners to clear snow and ice from their sidewalks, walkways and stairs.

Despite the weather, the snow isn’t impacting operations at the airport and spokesperson Jody Moseley said only minor delays are being reported, mostly because of longer than expected de-icing procedures.

“By and large you’re going to get out of YYC or arrive pretty close to on time, but do anticipate there might be some flights delays.

Mosley added getting to and from the airport is more complicated than getting off the ground.