Insured damage from Canadian atmospheric river tops $70 million

An atmospheric river that led to intense flooding along the southern British Columbia coast in October caused more than  $100 million Canadian ($70.9 million) in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc., the Insurance Bureau of Canada said in a statement Friday.

The Category 4 atmospheric river from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20 caused significant flood damage to properties in Coquitlam; Burnaby; north, west and metro Vancouver; and Surrey.

Intense rainfall and strong wind gusts resulted in rivers overflowing and multiple instances of sewer backups and flooded basements, roads and parking garages, the IBC said.

The estimate includes damage to residential and commercial properties and automobiles.

Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow regions of water vapor that form in the atmosphere and can lead to significant precipitation.