Displaced by wildfires? Here's what you should know about home insurance

Dozens of structures in West Kelowna have been destroyed or damaged, and while evacuees are still processing the devastating events, many are left wondering how much their home insurance will cover.

Bill Jack lived in a condo at Lake Okanagan Resort, which was one of many buildings destroyed by the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna.

“It’s pretty devastating," he said. "It’s a real shock to know that you had a beautiful place to live. People from all over the world come there and now it’s gone."

Jack intended to renew his home insurance about a month ago, but since he didn't, he lost everything.

His friends are now trying to help through a GoFundMe.

“Yeah. That was really nice," he said.

"I was in a car accident. I got hit by a semi-truck a year earlier, so I’ve been out of work for a year and a bit now," he said, adding that his cognitive functions aren't as sharp as they once were.

He's currently staying with his cousin in Kamloops, but is uncertain where he's going to live long term.

Meanwhile, other evacuees, including Jenn Slater, consider themselves lucky.

Her home in Kelowna is still intact and she's no longer under evacuation order.

“(We're) incredibly lucky. We heard they were watering the houses five houses down from our particular house and that community," she said.

Thankfully, she also has home insurance, which covers damage caused by fires, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).

“Standard home insurance covers wildfire and smoke damage and also has coverage for these additional living expenses when you’ve been evacuated," said Rob de Pruis, IBC's national director of consumer and industry relations.

"So things like hotel costs or additional food costs, these will be covered by your insurance policy," he continued.

But the IBC said people should get started on their insurance claim as soon as possible.

“Insurance companies are receiving a high volume of claims right now, so the sooner you can get that claim in the process, the sooner an adjuster can be assigned and then provide you with the next steps in the claims process," said de Pruis.

He also said claimants should keep all receipts to file later.

Experts strongly recommend homeowners and tenants get home insurance if they haven't already done so.

“I think it would be foolish to be within the B.C. Interior – and increasingly, probably, Greater Vancouver and Victoria – without recognizing there’s a risk that everything may go up into smoke," said Thomas Davidoff, an associate professor at UBC Sauder School of Business.