By Mia MacGregor

Aug 14 - (The Insurer) - The hailstorm that hit Calgary on July 13 has resulted in nearly C$92 million ($66.6 million) in insured damages, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Quantification (CatIQ).

Vehicle damage accounted for 65% of all claims stemming from the storm.

Calgary, situated in Canada's "Hail Alley," is no stranger to severe hailstorms, experiencing at least one major event annually for the past two decades.

CatIQ noted that these storms have caused more than C$11 billion in insured damage, with the last five years alone accounting for C$6 billion of that total.

The August 5, 2024 hailstorm in Calgary resulted in over C$3.2 billion in insured losses, marking it as the costliest hailstorm and the second costliest natural disaster in Canada's history.

"Continued rebuilding on this scale is unsustainable and will put pressure on premiums until more is done to build resilience that prevents hail damage in the first place,” said Aaron Sutherland, vice president, Pacific and Western, Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Sutherland emphasized the need for better building codes, financial support for retrofits and enhanced risk mapping and warning systems to mitigate future hail damage.

"It's far past the time to have a serious conversation about the extent of repeated hail damage, specifically in Calgary, and the urgent need to consider resilience measures and adapt more effectively to our new weather reality,” he added.