Preparing for September storms: First Onsite Hurricane Prep Guide

Mississauga, ON (Sept. 3, 2025) – As hurricane season peaks in September, First Onsite Property Restoration, one of North America’s largest disaster recovery and restoration providers for commercial and residential properties, has launched a dedicated hurricane preparedness page, offering practical tips to help Canadians get ready for potential severe weather.

In recent years, Canada has experienced significant financial impacts from hurricane-related flooding. In 2022, flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Fiona in Atlantic Canada led to over $800 million in insured losses, according to CatIQ, a Toronto-based independent catastrophe insurance data provider.. More recently, in 2024, the remnants of Hurricane Debby brought extensive flooding to Ontario and Quebec, resulting in one-year industry losses of $2.8 billion—highlighting the growing economic toll of severe weather events across the country.

“Hurricanes and tropical storms are inherently unpredictable, and their impacts can extend far beyond what people expect. Even storms that don’t make landfall, like the kind we saw in Quebec and Atlantic Canada in 2024, can bring heavy rain, localized flooding, strong winds, and dangerous surf, causing billions in damages,” said Jim Mandeville, Senior Vice President, Large Loss North America at First Onsite Property Restoration.

Regional concerns highlighted in 2025 Weather Worries Survey

Each year, First Onsite conducts a national survey to take a closer look at Canadians’ top weather-related concerns. The 2025 survey of 1,501 Canadians shows widespread concern about severe storms and hurricanes, particularly in regions most likely to be affected. Nationally, 31 per cent of Canadians worry about hurricanes and tropical storms, with the highest concern in Atlantic Canada (73%), Quebec (38%), and Ontario (29%).

Severe rain and flooding are an even bigger worry, with two thirds of Canadians expressing concern, up six points from 2024. Concern is again highest in Atlantic Canada (71%), Quebec (70%), and Ontario (65%).

First Onsite has provided hurricane tips to help minimize a storm’s impact on homes or businesses:  

• Develop an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)
• Practice the plan by stress-testing it
• Prepare the property
• Have a workplace hurricane preparedness kit
• Coordinate with the community
• Track the weather and stay alert

Full details are available on the Hurricane Preparedness resource page.

“Preparation is everything when it comes to hurricanes and severe weather. Protect your people, secure your property, and make sure your plans are in place before the storm hits. And when the storm passes, call in the experts to get you back up and running safely,” said Mandeville.

About the FIRST ONSITE Weather and Property Survey

These findings are from a survey conducted by First Onsite Property Restoration from February 19^th to February 21^st, 2025, among a representative sample of 1,501 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About First Onsite

First Onsite Property Restoration is one of the largest and fastest-growing emergency response planning, mitigation, and reconstruction service providers in North America. First Onsite employs over 2,500 team members and operates from more than 100 locations across Canada and the U.S. With a culture focused on harnessing the human power of its team members and a commitment to doing what’s right, the First Onsite team helps clients restore, rebuild, and rise. First Onsite is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation. For more information, visit www.firstonsite.ca.

Source: First Onsite Property Restoration via Maverick PR

Tags: FirstOnSite Restoration, hurricanes, Natural Catastrophes, severe weather, tips