Assiniboia, Sask., residents are experiencing a bit of déjà vu after a hail storm pummeled the southern Saskatchewan town Tuesday morning.
Pea-sized to golf ball-sized hail dropped down around 8:30 a.m., trapping the town’s mayor, Sharon Schauenberg, in her car for about 20 minutes.
“It just all of a sudden came upon us; this dark, dark cloud and boom — it opened up,” she said, adding the storm seemed to be localized to just the town.
The hail shredded trees, covering the town’s streets with branches and leaves, according to Schauenberg.
“You can see where some places got hit harder,” Schauenberg said.
“It’s just a disaster.”
A similar storm rolled through Assiniboia in July 2020, denting vehicles, smashing windows, and destroying rooves and siding.
Schauenberg says many residents are still dealing with last year’s insurance claims, and will likely have to submit more.
“I’ve got dents on my car. People are going to have multiple insurance claims, home claims and vehicle claims once again,” she said.
“People haven’t gotten their vehicles fixed from last year, so we’re way behind the eight ball here.”
Schauenberg said town crews were already busy cleaning up the streets Tuesday morning. However, damage to town property and facilities still needs to be assessed.