FAQ: Your questions about the New Brunswick ice storm

The province of New Brunswick is still cleaning up after last week's ice storm, whichleft thousands without electricity for days.

According to NB Power, the storm affected more than 200,000 customers, with about 3,500 still in the dark more than a week later.

The province is addressing the ongoing crisis, whichincluded requesting help from the Canadian military.

To help, CBC News has compiled the following information on subjects such as insurance, food safetyand carbon monoxide poisoning, which may address many questions people have as they recover from the storm.

Navigating insurance claims

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has issued a release urging insured New Brunswickers to act quickly on their ice storm damage.

The first step is toreport anylossesto an insurance representative as soon as possible, the association said.

But even before an adjuster starts working on a claim,there are severalsteps the association said homeowners should take:

• Take pictures and/or video of any damage to property
• Start cleaning up if it is safe to do so
• If possible, protectproperty from further damage, remove debrisand take other mitigating measures
• Keep all receipts for expenses related to the clean up
• Take caution when usingauxiliaryforms of heat and power, as there is the potential of fire and fumes
• If you need help getting in touch with your insurer, contact IBC's Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2AS-IBC (1-844-227-5422)

"Weather-related damage caused by a tree or branch falling on a house, shed or fence will be covered under most homeowner policies," the association said.

"If a fallen tree damages a vehicle this will be covered if the insured has 'comprehensive' or 'all perils' coverage for their vehicle."

More good news: most policiescouldpay for all of the frozen food people had to pitch after the power went out, the association said.

Homeownersshould stillask their representative about theterms for their specific policy, though.

Disaster Financial Assistance program

Meanwhile, individuals, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations canapply for assistance through the provincial Disaster Financial Assistance program,which helps to cover the costs of damage to essentials.

If necessary, homeowners can access several complementary services, such as electrical re-connections. Theprogram also includes health and safety inspections, which can be registered for at1-888-298-8555.

The program does not assist withdamages and loss covered byinsurance policy, so it maynot cover forfrozen food that had to be thrown out.

• Health & Safety Inspection Program(Government of New Brunswick)

Homeowners also have to pay for the first $1,000 of damage,however, the province is still asking people to contact it for assistance.

"Applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and the deductible will be waived for people who demonstrate financial challenges," the online form said.

Homeowners also have to include a copy of last year's income tax return if theytry to apply for an exemption.

To apply for assistance, they need toreport damages to Service New Brunswick using an electronic form or by phone at1-888-298-8555.

• Emergency Measures Organization - Damage Report Form(Government of New Brunswick)
• Frequently asked questions(Government of New Brunswick)

Home and business owners can also apply for emergency repair funding (advance payments), which are issued within 24 to 48 hours of the application.

These payments could, for example, be put towards fixingheating sources.

More information on this is available on the advance payment fact sheet.

• Advance payment applications(Government of New Brunswick)
• Advance payment fact sheet(Government of New Brunswick)

Although these payments are typically for claims of more than $10,000, the province won't hand over more than $4,000 per claim, the Emergency Measures Organization said.

You can find further information about the application process here.

Food safety

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the temperature inside arefrigerator should be 4 C or colder, and -18 C or colder in a freezer . Thesafety offood can be measured using the thermometers on these appliances.

• Food Safety in an Emergency(Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

The CFIAoffers these tips for handling refrigerated and frozen food after a power outage:

• Discard any thawed food that has been at room temperature for two or more hours, and any food that has an obvious unusual colour or odour. Keep in mind that food contaminated with bacteria does not necessarily smell bad or appear spoiled.
• Food that still contains ice crystals or feels refrigerator-cold can be re-frozen.
• If raw food has leaked during thawing, clean and disinfect the areas the food has touched. Do not reuse the clothsused for cleaninguntil they have been disinfected by washing in hot water.

The agency also suggestedthat anyone still waiting for power to come back on does the following with refrigerated and frozen food:

• Freezing stops the growth of bacteria.Do not open the refrigerator or freezer door unless absolutely necessary in order to maintain the cold temperature.
  • A full freezer will keep food frozen for about 48 hours. A freezer that is half full will keep food frozen for about 24 hours.
  • An unopened refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours.
  • If available, add ice to the refrigerator to keep the food at a safe temperature if the power will be out for long periods of time.
• Do not place frozen food outside, even in winter. The sun's rays could thaw frozen food even when the outdoor temperature is very coldand animals could contaminate your food.
• If you know that a power failure will last for a long period of time, take the food to a friend nearby who has power.

Tracking the outages

At its height, NB Power saidthe storm caused a loss of power for about 130,000 of its customers.However,another 70,000 customers were affected in the days after, bringing the total numberto200,000.

The number of affected customers has fallen steadily in recent days.

• Storm Centre: Outages(NB Power)
• Report an Outage(NB Power)

NB Power can be reached by phone on the company's general inquiries line at 1-800-663-6272.

Meanwhile, the utility is tweeting updates. For these, follow @NB_Power on Twitter.

Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning

Be ready for CO: Here's how to keep your home safe

8 years ago

Duration 1:18

Two people died from the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning after last weeks ice storm, and more than 30 others were sent to hospital with symptoms of poisoning.

Carbon monoxide gas which cannot be seen, tasted or smelled poisoned and killed two New Brunswickers in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Since then, there have been more than 30 suspected and non-fatal cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Carbon monoxide injuries after ice storm continue to climb

There are many sources that can release unhealthy amounts ofcarbon monoxide, including burning coal, gasoline, natural gas, oil, propane and wood.

Blocked chimney flues, charcoal grills, cooking appliances, generators and vehicle exhaustare also part of this list.

• The silent killer: How carbon monoxide creeps into your home

Bottom line: Homeowners should not run a generator or burn open flamesinside a home or garage. Instead, the generator should be set upoutside, at afair distance from all windows and doors, with its muffler facing away from the home.

• 5 safety tips for operating generators

Getting and giving help

Anyonestill without power, can warm up and chargeelectronic devices at an emergency shelter. The provincial government is updating its list of open shelters daily, which can be found here:

• Emergency shelters(Government of New Brunswick)

Alternatively, people can seek heat and electricity at one of many warming centres across the province. The current list of those facilities is available here:

• Warming centres for residents affected by power outages(Government of New Brunswick)

Anyone who wantsto donate to the ongoing relief efforts,can do so through the Canadian Red Cross.

• New Brunswick Ice Storm 2017

Other numbers to know

NB Power has put together alist of important phone numbers.

• New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization: 1 800 561 4034
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police non-emergency: 1 888 506 7267 (wellness checks)
• NB Road Report: 1 800 561 4063
• 24-hour Regional Reception Centre/Shelterlocated in Bas-Caraquet(cole l'scaledes Jeunes, 2930 Morais St.)
• Red Cross (locations of warming centres and shelters): 1 800 222 9597

Are you looking for further information that we haven't included here? If so, please let us know by tweeting at @CBCNB.