PCS Canada Severe Weather Summaries Product Overview PCS-Canada Severe Weather Summaries provide a recap of severe weather events (strong thunderstorms, tornadoes and strong gusting wind, rain/snow/sleet/hail, etc.) across the Canadian Provinces and Territories that cause significant insured property damage. The summaries also include: lists of areas affected by severe weather a severe weather outlook a tropical weather outlook when applicable Severe weather summaries issued in the past months are available on PCS-Canada by various search criteria. Severe Weather Summaries also provide weather conditions and forecasts for Canada including satellite and radar maps on a national and regional basis as needed. This information is updated accordingly.
Severe Weather Summaries On the Severe Weather Summaries page, you can select the latest report or enter search criteria to find a particular summary or group of summaries. The Most Recent Report To select this report, click on the appropriate Report button. Select by Search Criteria There are other search criteria that may be used to compile a list of summaries from which you can select. Note that at least one of the fields below must be specified, and some combinations are not valid. You will be informed, via a popup box, on how to correct any errors. Province/Territory - You may select one or more from a drop down list containing all designated areas. Time Period - You may select from "Latest Week, "Latest Two Weeks, "Latest Month", "Latest Six Months" or "Select a range. If "Select a range" is selected, specific dates can be entered in the "From" and "To" fields. The format for dates is MM/DD/YYYY. (Reports are available from April 1, 2010). Perils - You may select from a list of perils identified in severe weather summaries. These appear in a drop down list. The default is "All Perils. Sort Order - Sort your list of summaries by "Date Descending " or "Date Ascending. If "Date Descending " is selected, the information is presented in descending order, with the most recent data first. If " Date Ascending " is selected, the data is presented in ascending order, with the oldest data first. The default is " Date Descending. After making your selections, you may either click on Submit to start the search process, or Reset to clear all input and start the summary selection process again. Severe Weather Summaries List The View Display Weather Summaries table displays a listing of severe weather summaries meeting your search criteria. If you want to start the search process again, click New Search. This will bring you back to the Summary Selection Page. The following data is displayed on the summaries list:
Complete Reports Clicking on the date in the "Complete Reports" column will display the severe weather summary and appropriate maps. Maps Clicking on the map displays the appropriate map that accompanied the Severe Weather Summary. PCS Canada Catastrophe Bulletins Product Overview The PCS-Canada staff assigns Catastrophe Serial Numbers to events: that cause C$25 million or more in total insured property losses, and affect a significant number of property and casualty insurance policyholders and property and casualty insurers. There are three types of catastrophe bulletins: Bulletins, Extensions, and Estimates. Bulletins are the first notice from PCS-Canada that a Catastrophe Serial Number has been assigned to an event. Extensions are updates to the Bulletins, providing additional information relating to the initial Bulletin. Estimates are reports prepared by staff stating preliminary, resurvey, or final estimates of property damage on a province or territory basis. Information includes breakdowns for each area noting the number of claims, average payment and total dollars for Personal, Commercial and Automobile losses. All catastrophe bulletins issued since April 1, 2010 are available. The catastrophe bulletin database is updated when new bulletins, extensions and/or estimates are issued. Comprehensive reports can be viewed in the first column, Catastrophe Definition Summary in the third column, and Images in the last column. Catastrophe Bulletins Selection
Latest Catastrophes The Latest Catastrophes Page allows you to select from the latest four catastrophes or to enter search criteria to find a particular catastrophe or a group of catastrophes. Select below to see information on the latest Catastrophe. Clicking on the Cat number will take you to the reports issued for the selected Catastrophe Bulletin number. To enter search criteria for catastrophe information, click the Search button. Select by Catastrophe Number or Characteristic Select by Catastrophe Number If you would like to view information related to a particular catastrophe, select Year and Number from the drop down boxes. Some combinations of year and number are not valid. You will be informed, via a popup box, on how to correct any errors. See numbering system below. Catastrophe Numbering System Catastrophe numbers start with number 11 and run consecutively to 99. After 99, the next catastrophe is number 11. The numbering is not restarted each year. For example, a catastrophe on December 31, 1998 could be Catastrophe Number 15. A new catastrophe occurring on January 2, 1999 would be Catastrophe Number 16. After making your selections, you may either click on "Get Bulletin" button to start the search process, or Clear to clear all input and start the summary selection process again. Select by Catastrophe Characteristics Other search criteria can be used to compile a list of catastrophe information from which you can select. Note that at least one of these fields must be specified, and that some combinations are not valid. You will be informed, via a pop up box, on how to correct any errors. Province or Territory - You may select a province or territory from a drop down list containing the names of all areas. Dates of Occurrence - You may select from "Latest Week, "Latest Two Weeks", "Latest Month", "Latest Six Months" or "Select a range. If "Select a range" is selected, specific dates can be entered in the "From" and "To" fields. The format for dates is MM/DD/YYYY. ( Available reports start April 1, 2010.)
Perils - You may select from a list of perils identified in catastrophe bulletins. These appear in a drop down list. The default is "All Perils. Sort Order - Sort your list of catastrophe information by "Date Descending " or "Date Ascending ". If "Date Descending " is selected, the information is presented in descending order, with the most recent data first. If " Date Ascending " is selected, the data is presented in ascending order, with the oldest data first. The default is " Date Descending. After making your selections, you may either click on Submit to start the search process, or Reset to clear all input and starts the catastrophe selection process again. Catastrophe Bulletins List View Catastrophe Information The View Catastrophe Information list displays a listing of Catastrophe Numbers meeting your Search by Catastrophe Characteristics criteria. If you want to start the search process again, click New Search. This will bring you back to the Catastrophe Selection Page. The following data is displayed on the View Catastrophe Information list: Catastrophe Serial Number Clicking on the number in the "CAT Number" column will display the View Catastrophe Reports list. See View Catastrophe Reports information section. Note, CAT Number is the only linked field on the View Catastrophe Information list. From and To These are the dates of occurrence associated with the specified catastrophe number. Provinces and Territories The areas associated with the specified catastrophe number. Perils The perils primarily associated with the specified catastrophe number.
Bulletin List This report displays a listing of Catastrophe Reports (Bulletins, Extensions and/or Estimates) for the Catastrophe Number selected from the View Catastrophe Information list (either the Latest Catastrophe or select Catastrophe pages). If you want to start the search process again, click New Search. This will bring you back to the Catastrophe Bulletin Selection Page. The following data is displayed on the Bulletin list: The top of the list will report the Bulletin Number, the dates, and perils associated with the Catastrophe Number. Catastrophe Number Report Information is displayed as Catastrophe Number Report Type. The first two numbers refer to the catastrophe number. The number(s) following the hyphen is the sequence number of bulletin, extensions, and estimates issued relating to the specific catastrophe number. The Report Type will specifically identify the type of report available. Note, "Catastrophe Number Report" is the only linked field on the Bulletin list. Report Release Date This is the date the specified report was issued. PCS Canada Storm and Event Tracking Reports Product Overview PCS-Canada Storm and Event Tracking Reports provide the latest information from the National Hurricane Center on Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. The Storm and Event Tracking Report database is updated on an as needed basis, dependent on Event activity. PCS-Canada also reports here on other significant events, e.g. fires, earthquakes, etc, that have the potential to be designated catastrophes but have not yet been identified as such. With respect to tropical cyclones, as storms get closer to landfall, advisories may be issued as frequently as every two hours. Storm and Event Tracking Reports Selection The Storm and Event Tracking Reports selection page allows you to enter search criteria to find a particular or group of reports or select from a list of reports in the
View Storm/Event Data table of currently active storms. Selecting Reports from the View Storm/Event Data Table Clicking on the Storm/Event Name will take you to a list of all the issued advisory reports for the storm or event. The report list is in descending order, with the latest advisory report listed first. Clicking on the Catastrophe Number, if one is present, will open the PDF version of the initial Catastrophe Bulletin for the storm. Searching by Storm/Event Characteristics To enter search criteria for other storm information, click on the Search button. There are other search criteria which may be used to compile a list of advisories from which you can select. Note that at least one of these fields must be specified, and that some combinations are not valid. You will be informed, via a popup box, on how to correct any errors. Year - You may select one or more years from a drop down box. All Events - You may select one or more jurisdictions from the drop down box. By selecting "Other" (last item), you can select reports available for storms outside of the designated areas (e.g., international) listed in the drop down box. Sort Order - Sort your list of reports in either descending or ascending order. If "Descending" is selected, the information is presented in descending order, with the most recent data first. If "Ascending" is selected, the data is presented in ascending order, with the oldest data first. The default is "Date Descending. After making your selections, you may either click on Submit to start the search process, or Reset to clear all input and start the selection process again. Storm and Event Tracking Reports Selection List The View Storm/Event Data table lists storm and event names meeting your search criteria. If you want to start the search process again, click New Search. This will bring you back to the Storm and Event Tracking Reports selection page. To view the reports for a particular storm/event, click on the name of the storm/event. The following data is displayed on the next screen: Complete Report Clicking on the storm number in the "COMPLETE REPORT" column will display the Storm or Event number report information issued by the weather service for the selected item and the included images.
Images Clicking on the icon in the "Images" column will display the associated images or maps which accompany the report. Release Date & Time This is the date and time that the specified report was issued. PCS Canada Catastrophe News Product Overview PCS-Canada Catastrophe News provides monthly, quarterly, and periodic reports that summarize catastrophe losses. Previews - A monthly summary of catastrophe losses that have occurred in a particular month over the past years. Reviews - Quarterly reports that provide a recap of catastrophes that have occurred over the last three months. News - Provide periodic news bulletins with information about recent catastrophic events or other issues affecting the insurance industry s response to catastrophes. PCS Canada Catastrophe News/Information Index On the Catastrophe News/Information Index page, you can select reports that summarize catastrophe losses from "Previews, "Reviews, and "News. Previews - Select one report at a time from a list of monthly reports listed in chronological order. Reviews - Select one report at a time from a list of quarterly reports listed in chronological order. News - Select one report at a time from a list of news bulletins listed alphabetically by title.
Catastrophe Categories The catastrophes have been separated into 10 distinct catastrophe categories. They are as follows: 1. Winter Storm - includes storms that produce any of the following perils Snow Ice Freezing The Winter Storm Category supersedes or overrides the category of Wind and Thunderstorm Events. Hence, if a peril associated with a Wind and Thunderstorm Event and a peril associated with a Winter Storm are both present in the definition of a catastrophe, the catastrophe is categorized as a Winter Storm. 2. Wind and Thunderstorm Events- includes storms that contain any of the following perils in the catastrophe definition: Wind Hail Tornadoes Flooding 3. Hurricane. In most instances, a hurricane will include a specific storm name, for example, Hurricane Andrew. All perils that occur in conjunction with a hurricane are considered to be part of the hurricane, and, therefore, the storm is categorized as a named hurricane. Hurricane supersedes all other categories. It is important to note that not all Hurricanes have unique names. If a hurricane is considered.minor. or does not cause significant damage, the name may be recycled and used for another future hurricane. For example, there was a Hurricane Bonnie in 1986 and another Hurricane Bonnie in 1998. The earlier Hurricane will appear as Hurricane Bonnie* under the Cat Name. The.*. is used to distinguish the separate events. 4. Tropical Storm. In most instances, tropical storms include specific names for the storm, for example, Tropical Storm Keith. All perils associated with a tropical storm are considered to be part of the tropical storm and therefore categorized with the named tropical storm. Tropical
Storm supersedes all other categories. 5. Fire- Other. The perils associated with this category include urban fires and explosions. This category does not include "fire following earthquake, which itself is included in the earthquake category. 6. Wildland Fire. The perils associated with this category include forest and brush fires that cause damage to insured properties to the extent the event qualifies as a catastrophe. 7. Volcanic Eruption. The peril included in this category is volcanic eruption. 8. Earthquake. The peril included in this category is earthquakes. It also includes the peril of "fire following earthquake." 9. Riot. This category includes the perils of riot, looting, acts of civil disobedience, vandalism, and malicious mischief. 10. Water Damage. The peril included in this category is water damage (caused by the flooding of the Chicago tunnel system in 1992). Catastrophe Numbers Each catastrophe is assigned a serial number. The cat number is not a unique identifier. A number from 11-99 is assigned to each of the catastrophes during a calendar year. The numbers are used consecutively not chronologically. That is, if the last catastrophe number in one year is 35, the first cat number used the next year is 36. As a result, the same catastrophe numbers have been used for various events, and catastrophe numbers can overlap. Loss amounts are associated with catastrophes NOT individual perils. All loss amounts are associated with the different catastrophes. There are no specific loss amounts associated with the individual perils that occur within a catastrophe. For example, if wind, hail, and tornadoes cause extensive damage, all of the loss amounts will be associated with the Wind and Thunderstorm Event. The loss amounts will not appear in the specific perils of wind, hail, or tornadoes for that particular event. Nominal Totals vs. Actual Dollar Amounts The amounts listed for each catastrophe are displayed using nominal totals. Nominal Canadian dollar totals mean that the monetary value noted for each catastrophe is expressed in the monetary value of the year in which the event occurred.
Claims Information Services PCS HELP Bulletins PCS HELP Bulletins provide invaluable resources for claims adjusters across the country and a useful adjunct to a training program. The Bulletins serve as a source book on adjusting guidelines and procedures. With topics ranging from Arson Reporting Immunity to Written Statements, the current series of topics can help adjusters and trainers deal with the common issues, problems and situations working adjusters are likely to encounter. Some of the topics covered are handling stock losses, claim file documentation, examination under oath, salvage, and subrogation.