Airdrie hail damage could cost up to $100M, says insurance expert

Damage costs from the hailthat pelted Airdrie in southern Alberta last weekcould reach as high as $100 million, says one insurance expert.

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• Be wary when hiring for hail repairs, province warns

The area has been hit by more than one hail storm recently, but last Thursday`s extreme weatherwas a significant problemfor many home and vehicleowners.

Damage from that storm is now pegged at roughly$25 million,but it could be fourtimes that.

Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) fully appreciates the significant toll these types of severe weather events can have on families and communities," said IBC spokesperson Celyeste Power.

"While it is too early to provide an estimate of the damage caused by the Airdrie hail storm, we understand that Property Claim Services (PCS) is surveying insured damages and will provide a preliminary estimate soon.

DarrenGodfreywith Intact Insurancesaysthere is also still four to sixweeks of hail season left.

"The challenge we have with hail is we know we're going to get it, we just don't know where and when and how big it's going to be," he said.

Severity of storms increasing?

Pop-up assessment stations have been set up acrossAirdrieby manyinsurance agencies, and are often locatednear repair shops. Othertemporaryappraisal centres have beenset upacross southern Alberta.

"We're in a big of a hail alley herejust slightly sort of north of Red Deer, all the way down to High River, and a little bitacross Highway 2," said Godfrey.

Martina Baum has made more than four claims between vehicles and houses in recent years.

She has lived in the area for three decades, but says the storms have been getting worse in the last 10years.

"You walk in, you do shopping, you comeout and it's damaged," she said.

Godfrey agrees the frequency andseverity of storms in Albertais increasing.

"Unfortunately in Alberta, in particular, we get the vast majority of storms that we see across coast-to-coast in Canada," he said.