Four months have passed since a hailstorm struck the region of northeast Calgary, but city officials have revealed that less than half of the 70,000 insurance claims filed for damage in the area have been resolved.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Councillor George Chahal, together with their colleagues, toured the affected neighbourhood last week to survey the damage that remains unrepaired as homeowners await financial support. Both Nenshi and Chahal pointed out that many insurance claims remain unresolved, and things are only going to get worse for homeowners whose properties are still damaged as winter approaches.
“Our beautiful autumn weather seems to have turned, which reminds us that winter is coming. And it reminds us that there are a lot of people whose homes are not ready for the winter,” said Nenshi in a statement. “And it really is incumbent on all of us, and particularly on the government of Alberta, to be doing what they can to be helping people through these very difficult times.”
The hailstorm event that occurred June 13 was considered Canada’s fourth costliest natural disaster, causing nearly $1.5 billion worth of damage. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) gave assurances in a previous statement that while the hailstorm damage was considerable, it was still an insurable event.
An IBC spokesperson told CBC News that insurers are currently processing 100,000 claims from four weather events in Alberta this spring and summer.
“In Calgary, we understand that the majority of inspections are completed and many claims have closed but the work continues,” the representative said in an email statement.
