Residents in Regina Beach, Sask., woke up on Monday morning to a community torn up by a thunderstorm.
The storm, which hit the area on Sunday night, brought heavy rain and strong winds to the beachside town. The results include fallen trees, damaged homes and yards, and even some people had their boats or watercrafts blown away.
“The winds really took their toll. This is probably the worst storm event that we have dealt with since 2014,” said Victoria MacDonald, chief administrative officer with the town of Regina Beach.
MacDonald noted how a few town employees were out on Sunday night clearing fallen trees and branches from roadways once the storm cleared. Town workers were back out Monday morning to clear the rest of the roadways as residents assessed damages to their property and belongings.
She admitted there were a few narrow misses around town caused by the strong winds.
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“Many residents are impacted with trees falling on their property whether they were close calls or they fell on houses,” MacDonald explained.
“There were boats and docks that are in the lake, which is slightly outside of our jurisdiction, but it very much impacts our residents. They have sustained a lot of damage.”
MacDonald added that the Regina Beach recreation site operated by Saskatchewan Parks suffered severe damages. A shack containing rental paddleboards was completely destroyed after a tree demolished the structure.
An inflatable water park, which sits on the water near the beach, was pushed right into shore, according to MacDonald.
She’s not sure how much damages will cost the community as of yet, however, the clean up is expected to take a few days.
“The town luckily hasn’t sustained major costs, but the major impacts are on the residents and business owners in the community,” MacDonald mentioned. “Hopefully soon we’ll understand more of the costs.”
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