Residents survey the damage before begining cleanup in Calgary, Alta., June 14, 2020, after a major hail storm damaged homes and flooded streets on Saturday. Golf-ball sized hail bashed chunks of vinyl siding off homes and smashed car windows in the area on Saturday.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
Calgary’s mayor says a powerful hailstorm that pelted several neighbourhoods over the weekend may have caused more than $1-billion in damage.
Naheed Nenshi estimated that tens of thousands of homes were hit, including his own home in the city’s northeast.
Golf-ball-sized hail bashed chunks of vinyl siding off homes and smashed car windows in the area on Saturday.
Merlin Bartel with Epic Roofing & Exteriors said his business has been getting a new phone call every 90 seconds since the storm.
He estimated the company had already received 400 to 500 inquiries for repairs by Monday – compared to 200 to 300 calls during a regular week.
Mr. Bartel said it’s the worst hailstorm he can recall since 2012, when many homes and the University of Calgary campus in the city’s northwest were damaged.
Rob de Pruis with the Insurance Bureau of Canada said most home and auto insurance policies cover hail and wind damage, and the COVID-19 pandemic is not slowing adjusters’ work.
He said it’s too soon to say how much insurable damage the storm has caused.
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