Manitoba businesses, insurers flooded with storm damage claims and repairs

Manitoba's businesses and insurance providers are grappling with an overwhelming volume of damage claims and repair requests after a recent spate of severe weather events. Auto repair shops, in particular, are seeing a dramatic increase in customer calls.

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After a large storm like this it’s a higher volume of calls, maybe double, and earlier in the month it was maybe triple the phone calls

George Semchuk, operations manager at J Max Collision & Glass, told Global News that call volumes have doubled, and at times even tripled, following major storms. "It feels a little busy, but we still make sure we take our time to have that car going back to brand new," he said.

Tim Prokipchuk, an estimator at the same company, described the current season as the most severe he has witnessed in the last decade. "The size of the hail, the severity of the damages is something that I personally have not seen before," Prokipchuk stated. He recounted one incident where a vehicle was severely damaged by shingles and shattered glass after a tornado touched down in south Winnipeg.

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It feels a little busy, but we still make sure we take our time to have that car going back to brand new.

Roofing companies are also experiencing an "unprecedented amount of calls," according to Don Fata, sales and marketing manager at Pristine Roofing & Siding. Fata noted that his company typically receives 60 to 70 calls per week but has recently been handling 200 to 250 calls weekly. Crews are working extended hours to conduct damage assessments and perform necessary repairs.

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This is definitely the most severe storm that we’ve had in probably the last 10 years. The size of the hail, the severity of the damages is something that I personally have not seen before

Communities like Boissevain and Killarney were hit by golf-ball sized hail on Sunday night. Jacob Thain, who was driving through Boissevain at the time, described the experience as frightening, with his vehicle sustaining at least 100 dents on its hood and roof. Barry Lamb, a Boissevain resident, mentioned that the area was still recovering from a previous storm that caused significant flooding, adding to the difficulties faced by the community.

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We had one that was related to the tornado that touched down in south Winnipeg. The whole vehicle was peppered with shingles, glass was blown out, and the interior was completely destroyed from glass.