Attention :

Good morning from the MPOA.  For those who may not be aware, a powerful storm struck Mazinaw on Saturday afternoon, May 21^st .  This email includes:

• General information on the storm
• How to request help photographing your property if you can’t in person (and have no local contacts)
• Tips for insurance claims

Details on the Storm

The storm caused extensive damage, particularly in the north end.  If you have not obtained information about the state of your property, please consider visiting shortly, or reach out to your local contacts to have someone assess for damage.

In general, power outages are widespread and expected to continue for weeks, there is no land access on the water side north end, and there is large debris in the lake itself.  Use extreme caution when boating.  Smart’s is currently closed, (there was minor damage to some boat tops), and Brown’s is open, with minimal damage to boats or docks. 

Specifically if you are a cottager in the north end, particularly from Barber’s Bay north to Hungry Bay, the damage is very severe.  Large swaths of the forest including the trails have been obliterated and:

• ALL properties in that area have storm damage
• MOST have at least 1 tree on a structure (deck, dock, cottage, shed)
• SOME have so many trees down they are difficult to navigate on foot
• NONE are accessible by land

In summary, this storm was far worse on an aggregate scale than the July 1 storm last year.  It had winds like a tornado, and left broad damage similar to a hurricane (in the north end).  It was technically a ‘derecho’, and certain areas such as Uxbridge, Ontario and the north end of Lake Mazinaw were hit particularly hard.  You are strongly advised to assess your cottage for damage as soon as possible and come prepared to make emergency repairs.  

How to Request Help

If you can’t get to your cottage on short notice and have no local contacts who can check your property, there are a couple ways to get information from other cottagers:

1. Join the Mazinaw Property Owners Association (MPOA) Facebook page.  Information is shared between members regularly, requests for photos can be made, and it’s a boost to see the community come together at a time like this.  There is also an exciting video of the storm itself, complete with language appropriate for the situation (cursing).

MPOA Facebook Group

• If you don’t have a free Facebook account, you must create one.
• Remember to answer the questions about where on the lake your property is, and agree to the group rules.  (We are trying to keep businesses from joining just to hawk services.)

2.  We hope you can arrange photos of your property privately.  But if you have no local contacts who can check for you, and if asking on the Facebook group is not an option, fill out this form to make a request.  Your property info will be shared for you on the MPOA Facebook group asking for a volunteer photographer, and your contact info will then be shared privately with the responding volunteer.  The MPOA is not making assessments on your behalf, but is facilitating a private exchange between yourself and a volunteer outside the MPOA.  

Request Pictures of Lake Mazinaw Property

Tips for Insurance Claims

Here are some general tips for dealing with a property damage insurance claim:

• Photograph everything before cleaning up and making repairs.
• Keep receipts from purchases of repair/replacement items.
• Start an inventory list of what needs to be repaired or replaced.  It can be difficult to remember everything later.
• Take steps to prevent further damage.  Most policies require homeowners to safeguard and mitigate loss.

Thank you for reading this long email.  Boat cautiously, work safely, get to know someone good with a chainsaw.   May the weather co-operate for us as we work hard on cleanup, and then enjoy the rest of the summer! 

Joanne McRae, Director of Communications, MPOA