Calgarians reflect on intense storm that wreaked havoc across city

Calgarians cleaning up after horizontal rain and golf ball sized hail wreak havoc on the city.

CALGARY (CityNews) – Twenty-four hours after a flash storm struck the city, Calgarians are looking back on that intense hour and taking stock of the damage.

Rain, lightning and hail quickly caught many residents off guard Saturday night and led to major flooding across the city.

“The hail was ranging from golf ball and a bit larger,” said Ross Tabalada, whose home was damaged in the storm. “Some of the stuff was solid clear ice and it came down fast. If you get beamed on the head with one of those, you’re down for the count.

“I’ve lived in Calgary my whole life and I’ve never seen anything as intense as that. We have ceramic tile and it has holes in it.”

The hail may have been gone by Sunday morning but signs of its destruction remained: broken glass, debris and a lot of dented siding.

“When I went to the front, every car had damage to its windshield,” said Tabalada. “They were blown out.”

RELATED: Alberta mopping up after storm that brought heavy rain, hail and tornadoes

Calgary’s northeast neighborhoods were the hardest hit in the entire city.

Deerfoot Trail looked like a river during the storm – emergency crews needed boats to help stranded drivers standing on top of their cars.

Flash flooding turned storm drains into geysers on 14th Street, with drivers attempting to get out of the storm before their cars became submerged.

https://twitter.com/19Gelr/status/1271992609834061825

While storms like this one – that seem to come out of nowhere – aren’t completely unusual for Calgary, it will have lasting effects on many residents. The cost of damages has yet to be determined.

“I know my neighbours were already on the phone with their insurance companies,” said Tabalada. “They were on hold. Everyone is going to have a similar experience here in the northeast, calling their insurance companies.”

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