By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter) with files from the Insurance bureau of Canada

$65 Million in Insured Damage for Alberta and Saskatchewan Blamed on Severe Summer Storm

Aug 24, 2016 | 1:22 PM

EDMONTON:  A severe storm that swept through Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan during the third week of July has resulted in nearly $65 million in insured damage. 

The information is from the  Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC)  Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ).

On July 15th and 16th, a low pressure system caused heavy rainfall, large hail, and localized flash flooding across the southern portions of the two provinces.  It caused significant hail damage in Lethbridge, and localized flooding in Calgary, and Arbour Lake. This storm also brought over 60-mm of rain to Swift Current, Saskatchewan in less than one hour.

Bill Adams, Western and Pacific, IBC Vice-President, says it’s another example of severe weather causing extensive damage in our region.

“This has been an active summer across the Prairies and it reinforces the need for Canadians to understand their insurance policies and to have an emergency preparedness plan for when bad weather strikes.”

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The majority of the damage was reported in Alberta, including damage to homes and autos, largely due to hail, resulting in upwards of $59 million in claims alone.  This storm follows a previous system that hit the Prairies a week earlier which resulted in more than $48 million in insured damage.

In early August, the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), reported hail damage to crops was on trend to break Insurance claim records in Alberta.  LethbridgeNewsNow.com reported that as of July 25th, farmers in the province filed 5,800 crop insurance claims.