Damage from Calgary hailstorm 'extraordinary,' mayor says

Calgary's mayor says a powerful hailstorm that pelted several neighbourhoods over the weekend may have caused more than $1 billion in damage.

Naheed Nenshi estimates tens of thousands of homes were hit, including his own home in the city's northeast.

Golf-ball sized hail bashed chunks of vinyl siding off homes and smashed car windows in the area on Saturday.

Merlin Bartel with Epic Roofing & Exteriors says his business has been getting a new phone call every 90 seconds since the storm.

He estimates the company had already received 400 to 500 inquiries for repairs by Monday —compared to 200 to 300 calls during a regular week.

Bartel says it's the worst hailstorm he can recall since 2012, when many homes and the University of Calgary campus in the city's northwest were damaged.

Rob de Pruis with the Insurance Bureau of Canada says most home and auto insurance policies cover hail and wind damage, and the COVID-19 pandemic is not slowing adjusters' work.

He says it's too soon to say how much insurable damage the storm has caused.