Thousands of hail claims were submitted to Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance during the last half of July.
CEO Rodney Schoettler says a storm earlier in the month packed quite the punch.
“We had a big event go through north of the city, so it hit from Bethune all the way over to Melville, and there was some big hail in there, a lot of 10 percent losses, and the claim count for our office alone was 1,104,” said Schoettler. “So, it was the biggest event of the year and most of that hail fell on July 11th.”
Schoettler says another storm on July 22nd made sure to wipe out whatever crop was left after the first storm.
“If you come back to the Regina-Moose Jaw area, it had hit the same area that got hit on the 11th, for certainly some of the claimants,” said Schoettler. “So, if you weren’t 100 (percent lost) the first time, you might be now.”
He says there were fewer claims in July compared to the previous five years, but the reported damage is expected to be much higher.
Schoettler adds the worst part about the recent hailstorms is that they seemed to have targeted some of the crops that were doing relatively well.
“The unfortunate part in the hail, is that it tends to follow moisture,” said Schoettler. “So, a lot of the claims we’re getting are in the areas where the crops are at better than average, or at least a good average this year. The province as a whole is suffering due to the heat and of course the dry conditions, but unfortunately the hail seems to hit better crops.”
Schoettler says if he had to bet on it, August is going to look very quiet as harvest has started earlier this year than in the past.
