Homes in a central Alberta hamlet have been described as looking like Swiss cheese after a hailstorm tore through it Sunday. Chelsea Lovell was in her backyard in Springbrook, Alta., enjoying the sunny afternoon when she began hearing thunder. “I looked up and I saw a small cloud, and I didn’t really think too much of it,” she recalled. “Then I start to hear the ‘ting tangs’ of hail coming down.” Within seconds of being inside, the hail started pouring down. “All of my plants are shredded, my birdhouse is shredded … Once I went out to go look a little further, I realized all of the siding on our condo had been shredded.” A neighbour told Lovell that her windows had been shattered by the abrupt storm. Mature trees in the hamlet were snapped. “If you drive around town, it’s like someone took a weed whacker to all the plants and shredded everything,” Lovell told CTV News Edmonton. Hailstone sizes ranged from pebble-sized to the size of a golf ball, similar to what was seen in the area during a hailstorm two decades ago. Residents have been taking to social media to share their experiences, some saying their insurance companies are refusing to send adjusters out to assess their properties unless they are going through a claim. Red Deer County has set up a hail storm cleanup relief program where residents can drop off loads of organic waste for free and is currently assessing damage. Lovell said the community has come together with local roofing and siding companies offering residents free estimates. “The community is coming together to help each other out, which is nice to see.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Connor Hogg
