On the same day that Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) introduced its new weather alert system, it was put to the test during a severe storm in southern Alberta. On Tuesday afternoon, an intense storm system brought high winds, heavy rain and loonie- to golf ball-sized hail down on the town of Claresholm, a community about an hour and a half south of Calgary. Residents in the area told CTV News there is widespread damage throughout the community, including broken windows, dented vehicles and damaged siding on many homes. “We were expecting the garden to be flattened and leaves on the ground. And I had no idea that this was this severe until we got home,” said Dean Lindquist, who was camping with his family out of town when the storm rolled through. Lindquist assessed the damage of his home on Wednesday, noting several hail dents in his vehicle, smashed taillights and vinyl siding with dozens of holes. “My first step is to unplug eavestrough, so I don’t get a flood in the basement and then help my neighbour,” he said, adding he has elderly neighbors and wanted to make sure their homes didn’t flood. For Gilbert Gong, the roof to his home has several leaks pouring into his kitchen, a broken front living room window and damage to three vehicles. He says Wednesday he was on the phone with his insurance company, and he hopes to have an adjustor come assess the damage. He says he remembers getting the new ECCC alert on his phone and warning his wife. “You see this warning (on your phone), I didn’t really (pay attention) as I’m so busy, and I just press, okay. And then (all of a) sudden, like, 15 minutes or less than it just hammered,” Gong said. “The glass window was broken and then after, when I went out, it (was) bad in the downtown.” Gong says there is nothing much that residents could have done to preserve property. “It’s just Mother Nature, so, it is what it is. (It’s) lucky we have insurance to fix all this,” he said. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says it’s still too early to determine what damage estimates may be, noting it could take 30 to 45 days before an estimated price tag is known. Later in the evening, other storms brought more hail to other Alberta towns, such as Didsbury, north of Calgary, where hail fell like snow and caused slowdowns on the QEII highway. No injuries have been reported because of the severe weather. ECCC’s new weather alert If news of the storm comes as a surprise some Albertans, it could be because of a different alert system that came online on Tuesday. ECCC modified its weather emergency alert plan to focus on smaller targeted areas — those in direct threat of thunderstorms or tornadoes. The agency says it’s supposed to cut down on what it calls “alert fatigue.” Storm chasers say the new strategy will help make everyone safer. “If you got 15 warnings a year and one time you get a storm, it’s human nature to just start ignoring them,” said Kyle Hetherington. “If you get one warning and it hits, the next time you get one, you’re absolutely going to take precautions.” The United States has also been using the system for years and scientists there say it’s had a positive impact. “People that are within, say, a half an hour or a hour of the storm, depending on how fast its traveling, they would actually have the warnings go out just for that localized area, as opposed to a whole bunch of people getting the warning,” said John Hanesiak, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Montana. The new system only works for thunderstorms and tornadoes. Other events, such as heat warnings and thunderstorm watches, will still alert broader areas. With files from Timm Bruch
