A family in Regina’s Lakeview neighbourhood is cleaning up after a 76 km/h wind gust blew through their yard Tuesday night.
The gust uprooted two decades-old pine trees in the Williams’ backyard around 9 p.m. The limbs narrowly missed the house and garage.
“It’s shocking to say that these were pulled right out of the ground in one storm,” said Mikaylah Williams.
It sounded like an “explosion,” according to Williams’ aunt who originally thought a car crashed outside.
“It’s crazy that there isn’t more damage,” said Williams, adding she’s surprised her grandmother’s hanging flower baskets are still intact from the wind.
“I’m thankful that there isn’t more damage and my grandma is okay.”
The power went out as a result, but no one was injured.
High winds and rain wreaked havoc across much of southern Saskatchewan Tuesday evening.
Byron Hudson said a plow wind ripped through his farmyard near Verwood, 30 km east of Assiniboia. The storm partially leveled his barn.
Storm chaser Beth Allan was driving along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border near Consul and Frontier during the storm.
She said winds reached over 100 km/h, making it “tough to keep the vehicle on the road.”
When she reached Hazenmore, the wind storm had already passed.
“We saw trampolines tossed and we saw a number of tree branches hanging on power lines,” Allan said.
SGI is dealing with an influx in claims since the wild weather started Saturday. According to the insurance issuer, it has received 600 auto claims and 180 property claims in the southern half of the province in less than a week.
“Siding’s being damaged, shingles are being damaged, trees are falling down, windows are being smashed, that kind of thing,” said SGI communications consultant Jennifer Sully.
“The vast majority of claims came from the Assiniboia area.”
To submit an auto claim, you can go through SGI’s auto e-claim service online, go directly to a claim centre or contact the SGI call centre.
Property claims can be submitted online, through a broker or by contacting the call centre.
When waiting for a claim to be processed, Sully said it’s important to keep any receipts related to cleanup that could be part of the insurance claim.
“Try not to throw anything away. If you have to, take pictures or video. Any information is important for that claim,” Sully said.
SGI appraisers will be at the Civic Centre in Assiniboia over the weekend to inspect vehicles damaged from the storm.
“Whenever there’s a big storm in a certain area, SGI does designate resources so we can process those claims as quickly as possible,” Sully said.
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