When your job is assessing property damage after an insurance claim event, you get used to dealing with obstacles. Knee-high water, downed wires, compromised structures — it’s all in a day’s work. But when the claim you’re investigating is due to a hurricane, it quickly becomes “next level,” moving an appraisal from being merely challenging to feeling almost impossible.
For Trevor Kutcy, National Property Appraiser with Definity, the seemingly impenetrable chaos left by Hurricane Dorian in 2019 presented a challenge that he felt he and his team could rise above. Quite literally.
“I’m a Transport Canada licensed drone pilot, so I use drones in my spare time for photography and video stuff,” Trevor says. “Nothing professional, just something I do for fun when I’m away on trips to get aerial photos or reels.” Face to face with the devastation of Dorian, using these robotic cameras “seemed like an obvious solution to gather the necessary info.”
As part of a company whose promise is “making insurance better,” and fueled by his passion to do whatever it takes to help customers get back to normal, an action plan was quickly formulated, and a drone was deployed to the appraisers in the field. “We learned a lot of lessons with Hurricane Dorian in 2019, and we’re proud to be able to apply them to similar disasters,” Trevor says.
As with all such incidents, the destruction left behind by Hurricane Dorian was widespread and catastrophic. The storm caused extensive damage that left more than half a million residents in Atlantic Canada without power. Trees were uprooted, roofs were pulled from buildings, and many wharves were damaged. Once the storm cleared, Hurricane Dorian’s historic landfall in the Maritimes left a mark, forcing everyone to rethink how best to prepare, recover, and rebuild after climate events.
Since then, the threat of climate change-related storms has continued to grow. Three years later, Hurricane Fiona was another stark reminder that Canada isn’t immune to the effects of climate change, and there’s no doubt we’ll face more hurricanes in the years to come.
Technology — specifically its use in the insurance industry — can help our communities to be better prepared and recover more quickly from the aftermath of severe weather. An evolving and intelligent technology, drones could be the key to helping Canadians get the financial restitution they need to repair or rebuild their communities.
“We use drones to capture overhead views of reported damage, recording video footage and photos of damaged homes, vehicles, and other structures,” Trevor reports. “With hurricanes, the damage is vast, but with the help of drone technology, our team and our customers stay safe and receive a comprehensive view of the damage.” This ultimately results in claims that are resolved faster than ever before, shorter turnarounds for reimbursements, and quicker rebuild times.
Trevor Kutcy acknowledges it’s only the beginning. “We know other climate change-related events are on the rise all over the country — including hail and windstorms that lead to widespread and dangerous levels of damage,” he notes. “We continue to focus on ways to integrate evolving technology into our processes to help Canadians recover as soon as possible from this kind of weather crisis.”
Other new field tech, like infrared search cameras, could also make things easier — not just for insurance professionals, but for every Canadian looking for help when it’s needed most.
“What I like about working for Definity is that we’ve adopted a phrase, ‘we’re in it for good,’” Trevor says. “If that means being creative with technology and thinking outside the box to get the best results, we go for it.”
Trevor Kutcy, National Property Appraiser at Definity