'We want to fix our homes ... before winter kicks in': Calgarians hurt by hail storm call on Kenney for help
The two-month anniversary of a massive Calgary hailstorm that resulted in 70,000 insurance claims is fast approaching, and some residents of the affected northeast communities say there's been little help and support from insurance companies and the Alberta government.
"I think we have been given the runaround not only from the government but from the insurance companies as well," Taradale resident Khalil Karbani told reporters at a downtown Calgary protest Tuesday.
"We have written four letters to the premier, contacted our MLAs and we are not getting anywhere."
Karbani says his home incurred almost $17,000 in damages after the June 13 storm, according to insurance estimates.
"We want to fix our homes hopefully before winter kicks in," he said.
About 40 homeowners took their message to McDougall Centre in downtown Calgary hoping to get on the radar of the premier, in part to express disappointment with the province's disaster relief program.
"It's unfortunately only helping a handful of people out of 70,000 claims that have been made," he said.
Among options, the group says five-year, interest-free loans of up to $5,000 would be a good start.
Pamela Fischer lives in Saddle Ridge. The June 13 storm smashed the window of her son's bedroom, sending shards of glass flying.
"It's frustrating. You drive in and everyone's house is the same. Everyone's house is ripped apart. Everyone has boarded up windows," Fischer said.
"During that heatwave, you couldn't even breathe. We couldn't open the windows because the screens were ripped. It just seems to be taking so long to get responses."
She doesn't understand how insurance companies can take so long doing something that is at the core of their business, and the community is suffering as a result.
"This is a hurting community. They need help. They need compassion. We want to make it thrive again. We want the kids to go to school being proud of their area."
The premier said he'll make some calls and apply some pressure if the insurance companies don't play ball, but for the province to step in financially would set a bad precedent.
"We will read the riot act to those companies," Jason Kenney said Tuesday at an unrelated funding announcement.
"They have a legal responsibility to pay out those policies, just as the province is there to help with respect to uninsurable property."
