A vicious storm that hit Airdrie, Alta. last week has been declared a ‘catastrophe event,’ with one insurer setting up a special repair centre to deal with the claims.
The
Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) says the hailstorms that nailed the Alberta community north of Calgary on August 7 and 8 caused more than $25 million damage; leaving smashed windshields, dented vehicles and house siding.
“Rarely do we see windows being taken out, I haven’t seen too many storms where the windows get broken,” Peter Green from Airdrie Autobody, told Global News. “The storm was just more severe than average, because you see windows, sunroofs even cracking… that’s not standard.”
One source at
Aviva Canada told Insurance Business that they have been kept busy with hail claims from the Airdrie area.
According to Green, estimates are that 75 per cent of the cars in Airdrie were damaged by hail from the August storms, as well as during a similar storm on July 17. About half of them are write-offs.
“It all depends on the year and the make of your vehicle,” said Green. “If you have a six or seven year old vehicle with say, 150 K (150,000 kilometres), chances are it’s not going to be repairable.”
Autobody repair shops have been flooded with calls, and it could take months before they’re all repaired.
Intact Insurance has set up a special repair centre in Airdrie to deal with all the hail claims.
