Ice repair plans for many Calgarians whose properties were damaged by hail

Severe summer weather is likely to cause trouble for some Calgarians this winter as many people with hail damage continue to wait for repairs.

Insurance Bureau of Canada did not say how many claims have been settled three months after the storm hit Calgary on Aug. 5, resulting in more than 130,000 damage claims.

“We ask people to be patient,” said Aaron Sutherland of the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“It will take time. There just aren’t enough contractors available to do the job.”

On Aug. 5, hail broke two large windows in Puneet Sohal’s home in the Redstone neighborhood, but three months later, her family is still waiting for them to be fixed.

“Hopefully we can get this fixed before winter. If not… of course it will snow, water will come, everything will get wet again,” Sohal said.

Her family has repaired the damaged windows with plywood and plastic, but she worries about how they will hold up in the cold and snow.

The August 5 hailstorm set a record for insured losses caused by hail, totaling nearly $2.8 billion.

“This event was the second largest in Canadian history from an insurance perspective,” Sutherland said.

He says only the Fort McMurray fire in 2016 cost more.

Water rushing into Calgary International Airport on Aug. 5 closed Domestic Terminal B, and YYC said the area is expected to remain closed for renovations until 2026.

About 10 percent of WestJet’s fleet was damaged by hail during the hurricane.

WestJet sent CTV a statement confirming that as of November 5, 12 of its 17 aircraft had been repaired and returned to service.

Other modes of transport remain in limbo.

Chloe Burrows says her insurance company first said her Jeep was a write-off, then said it wasn’t.

While she’s grateful it’s still drivable, she’s been told repairs are needed to prevent electrical damage.

“I’m just amazed that it’s November. This happened in August and my car still has huge dents and holes in it, so now my Jeep will be damaged by water,” she said.

After CTV interviewed Burrows, her insurance company contacted her and again told her her car would be written off.

She was relieved because she said finding a car repair place and renting a car would be difficult due to the number of claims.

Meanwhile, Sohal expects her heating bills to increase until the windows on the ground and top floors of her home are repaired.

“Sometimes it gets cold in this area, so we have to turn up the heating a lot,” she said.

Insurance Bureau of Canada says existing personnel in other regions have been deployed to help resolve claims related to the Calgary storm, but cannot provide a timeline for when all claims might be resolved.