Local insurance companies are anticipating the surge of claims in the wake of the damage caused by Saturday’s thunderstorms.

Packing gusts clocked at 60 km/h to as much as 108 km/h in some locations, the storms toppled over thirty hydro poles, causing power outages that stretched for up to forty-eight hours in some areas by Sarto and Friedensfeld. Typical wind damage caused branches and even entire trees to be uprooted and fall on property and vehicles. Most dramatically, the sheet iron roofing of the Niverville Centennial Arena was peeled off.

ajority was there -- around 15 to 20 for sure -- and those claims were of course windstorm. We had some claims where it was lightning hitting a tree, hail damage, pretty much everything you'd expect out of your common storm.”

For new homeowners who will be filing a damage claim for the first time, Kreitz shared some helpful pointers.

“The first step is try and limit the damage that you can, right away. And then of course report the claim to your broker and then they'll be able to provide you with advice to guide you through the situation and get that restoration process started. It's always important to get these things tackled sooner rather than later, and never sit on it. It's important to always start the process as quickly as possible.”