Just 10 days after a powerful hailstorm pummeled Regina, Saskatchewan’s public insurer says claims continue to pour in, with preliminary damage estimates already approaching $80 million.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) says more than 10,000 auto-claims and 800 property claims have been filed since the June 9 storm, which battered parts of the city with large hail.
The storm has already been blamed for its widespread damage to vehicles, homes and trees.
“We are 10 days post-storm. It was a very significant event,” said Nikki Kluk, SGI’s director of Saskatchewan auto operations.
The growing number of claims has prompted SGI to bring in additional staff, extend working hours and hold appraisal blitzes over several weekends in an effort to process claims more quickly.
Heather Hubic, media relations manager with SGI, said the cost of the storm is expected to be “substantial.”
“At 10,000 claims and more than 800 property claims, we expect the cost to be significant,” Hubic said, adding preliminary estimates are approaching $80 million.
While SGI says Saskatchewan has seen large hailstorms before, officials say the sheer volume of claims continues to put pressure on the system.
“The damage is definitely higher than typical,” said Justin Fitzgerald, SGI’s director of appraisal operations for southern Saskatchewan.
However, he added that the company is prepared and ready for instances like these.
Fitzgerald said the storm struck a densely populated area of Regina, contributing to the high number of claims.
“We have seen all types of damages, from hail, to wind damage and trees falling.”
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To help manage the backlog, SGI has scheduled a series of weekend appraisal events.
“We have 945 customers booked for this weekend alone,” Fitzgerald said. “This is our second weekend in a row in Regina. We have three weekends planned after this and will plan more if needed.”
The insurer says customers with damaged windshields should not wait for an adjuster before having repairs completed if the vehicle is unsafe to drive.
“If you cannot drive your vehicle, go ahead, have it replaced, take photos, save your receipt and we’ll talk about it when we put in your claim.”
Property claims are also continuing to climb.
Candace Hagerman, director of SGI Canada property operations, said damage reports have largely involved exterior materials.
“We’re seeing damages to houses, shingles, soft metal, roofing, things like that,” Hagerman said.
She added that many of the affected neighbourhoods were heavily treed, which may have helped limit some damage.
“No claims for windows yet. Trees protected the homes more so that way.”
SGI says it has now received about 800 property claims. After a claim is filed, inspectors are typically dispatched within one to 10 days, with repair estimates generally taking four to eight weeks.
The Regina storm comes as insurers across Western Canada grapple with a growing number of severe weather events.
In Manitoba, Manitoba Public Insurance recently opened a dedicated Hail Response Centre after receiving more than 22,000 claims linked to recent storms around the same time.
John Bowering, MPI’s vice-president and chief claims officer, said the centre is aiming to assess up to 300 vehicles a day as crews work through the backlog.
Officials there expect the total number of claims could eventually reach between 30,000 and 40,000, with most involving hail damage.
Meanwhile in Alberta, rising costs associated with tornados, floods and wildfires have contributed to a sharp increase in home insurance premiums.
“The reality is that Alberta is the natural disaster capital of Canada. Flood, wildfire, hail — Albertans face all of it,” Liam McGuinty of the Insurance Bureau of Canada told Global News earlier this week.
Global News meteorologist Tiffany Lizee said the trend is tied to increasingly intense weather systems.
“Because of climate change, we do expect that to continue,” Lizee said. “The frequency of intense systems moving through is only going to increase.”
For now, SGI says its focus remains on helping Regina residents navigate the claims process as crews continue working through thousands of files generated by one of the city’s most damaging hailstorms in recent years.
–with files from Alessia Simona Maratta & Toni De Guzman, Global News
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