Many residents spent the majority of last week recovering from the shock of a severe hail storm that left in its wake a great deal of damage.
Business owners along Main Street were busy cleaning up the water and dirt that resulted from backed-up storm drains that couldn’t handle the significant amount of precipitation that fell. The storm started at about midnight on Aug. 14, and depending on where residents live, they were treated to a horrendous sight as small- to medium-sized hail ravaged gardens, greenhouses, windows and even vehicles.
According to Environment Canada’s weather office data, a total of 25.6 millimetres of precipitation blanketed Barrhead and area during the storm, while winds reached a maximum of 55 km/h; however, many residents are likely willing to dispute that information.
Town of Barrhead CAO Martin Taylor said he and Mayor Brian Schulz were driving around town after the storm ended. There were two employees on call that night, and he said they did a good job in their efforts to clear debris from the storm drains.
“I’m sure there are other homes we haven’t heard from that have been flooded,” Taylor said. “We encourage residents to make sure they have the proper tools in place, like a sump pump, seepage and eaves troughs that drain out to the road.”
Surprised doesn’t even begin to describe Define Clothing owner Cheryle Morris’ reaction when she went to her store on Main Street early Aug. 14. Her floor had been soaked almost the entire way to the back of the shop. It took all day to clean up the mess, and she was still airing out the place on Aug. 16. Luckily, none of her merchandise was damaged, because her insurance deductible is $10,000, she said.
Mud and water seeped about three quarters of the way across the entire length of the store, she explained, so it took six hours and four people constantly going to clean up the majority of it.
“It took us an hour just to clean up the front walkway,” she said. “I didn’t think we were even going to get flooded. I don’t think there was anything that could have prevented this, even if the drains hadn’t been clogged, because it would have filled right up anyway.”
There was a lot of water trapped in the basement of the store, she added, and it eventually resulted in an odour permeating throughout the shop.
“It’s very frustrating, but what can you do,” she said. “I can only imagine all the damage done to the crops throughout the area.”
Carl Baker of John’s Men’s Wear said he wasn’t in Barrhead the night the storm hit. He was enjoying some leisurely time with friends, but they wanted to come back to town once they heard about the hail, he said. At first, he figured it would take only a rug cleaner to tackle the situation, but once he laid eyes on the actual mess, he said he knew it was going to take more than that.
“I had no idea this had happened,” Baker said. “When I saw the hail on the ground, I knew something had happened that doesn’t normally happen here. I wasn’t even going to come back, but some friends had heard that their house had flooded. I’m glad we did.”
Fortunately, his merchandise also escaped with very little damage. Baker said it wasn’t worth submitting a claim with a $10,000 deductible, so that means the entire bill for the cleanup is coming out of his own pocket.
“We were lucky in the fact that not much of our merchandise was damaged,” Baker said. “The rug was soaked, and we had to bring in crews to clean it up.”
The rugs will have to be cleaned again once they are dry, he said, and was hopeful the water didn’t get into the walls. He encouraged residents to shop locally to help offset some of the costs involved with the cleanup efforts.
“As bad as I feel, I’m sure there are many others who are worse off.”
Tru Hardware owner Durriyah Mithaiwala suffered a great deal of loss in the aftermath of the hail storm. This is the second time in less than a year she has had to submit an insurance claim. In the winter, a build up of snow collapsed one of her greenhouses. Last weekend, the hail literally destroyed a significant amount of trees and plants that were being kept outside of the greenhouse. Furthermore, her basement flooded.
Mithaiwala said when she heard the hail on Aug. 14, she knew that it wasn’t going to bode well for her business, or for anyone whose property was caught in its path. She has lived in Barrhead for 17 years, and has never seen a storm the likes of which ripped through the town.
“In 17 years, I have never had to submit an insurance claim until this year,” Mithaiwala said.
It took three hours for the water to be pumped out of the basement, she said.
“It’s depressing, but it’s an act of nature, and it wasn’t done by someone else on purpose. You can’t control things like this. They happen, and that’s why you have insurance.”
Mithaiwala described the storm at “freaky,” and as she watched the hail come down, she said she knew she wasn’t going to be able to salvage what was left outside. At home, her own garden was “decimated,” she said.
“I didn’t expect the store to actually get flooded, because I didn’t think the storm drains would be blocked like that,” she said. “It was a shock for me.”
