ISLAND BEACH, Man. — Last weekend was anything but relaxing for cottagers and homeowners at Island Beach near Beaconia.
A massive hail storm Saturday caused thousands of dollars in damage and people are still cleaning up the mess in the lakeshore community 50 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
The Island Beach area saw baseball-sized hail and Beaconia received the most rain in the province –140 millimetres fell during the weekend.
READ MORE: Cottage country hit hardest by storm
Jim Mandziuk said the storm woke him and his wife at 5 a.m. Saturday.
“It was scary,” said Mandziuk. “it sounded like someone on the roof with a slough hammer.”
His bathroom window was shattered, his eavestroughs were bent and his car was dented and the windows smashed.
Mandziuk’s neighbour assessed damage to his property down the road. His entire roof needs repairs after he had more than a dozen leaks into his house and his windows were smashed.
Dozens of homes have holes in their siding, windows shattered and debris from trees scattered across the yards.
READ MORE: Weekend storm closes U of Manitoba’s Active Living Centre
Chris Phillips, who owns Beaches Roofing, has been overwhelmed with calls.
“Yesterday, I went out and assessed about 20 properties and today I’ve got another 20 to look at,” said Phillips. “Almost every place has damage.”
In one driveway sits three vehicles, all with their windshields smashed, all with countless dents. By 2 pm, Monday, Manitoba Public Insurance had already received more then 400 hail damage claims from the lakes area.
The storm came in with a bang leaving a mess residents had never seen before.
“I’ve been here 30 years and I haven’t heard something like that,” said Denis Daignault.
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