HEAVY HAILSTORM POUNDS EDMONTON

[tropicana]

Heavy hailstorm and rain pound Alberta capital on Sunday afternoon




SUNDAY JULY 11th 2004
EDMONTON (CP) - A pounding hailstorm hammered Edmonton on Sunday afternoon, turning roads into lakes and flooding parts of Canada's largest mall.

There were initial reports that a roof had collapsed at West Edmonton Mall, but reports from the scene indicated a skylight had fallen over the ice rink in the mall. A security official confirmed that stores in the mall, which had been open when the storm struck, were being closed.

There were no early reports of injuries.

A local radio station was reporting that parts of some roadways were flooded and in danger of collapsing.

Cyclists scrambled for safety as water flooded at least one city park.

Reporters trying to get to the scene said there was such heavy flooding that roads were impassable.

Mountains of hail lined city boulevards, brushed up against chain-link fences, turning lawns into dirty snowbanks.

People leaving the mall on foot reporting seeing a "waterfall of water" flowing from the inside top floor.

One shopkeeper said water was ankle-deep on the main floor.

There was a huge traffic jam reported as people tried to fight through high water to get out of the mall area.
-justin-

[tropicana]

Edmonton cleans up after severe storm dumped up to 150 mm of rain on city
MONDAY JULY 12th 2004

EDMONTON (CP) - Damage was estimated in the tens of millions of dollars Monday, the day after a severe hailstorm flooded hundreds of homes and parts of Canada's largest shopping complex - West Edmonton Mall.
Under a bright blue sky the clean-up continued throughout the city in the wake of a deluge that swamped roads, basements and cars with up to 150 millimetres of rain. Environment Canada officials called it "a one in 200-year storm."

Shop employees used vacuums and squeegees to clean up their stores as the mall opened for business only 18 hours after thousands of people were evacuated because of the torrent.

"It is not as bad as we thought it was going to be," said Aaron Coops of Intersport, a sporting goods store in the hardest hit part of the giant 800-store mall.

"It seemed just terrible yesterday. It seemed like the biggest disaster we have ever seen in this mall. But we are going to clean up the water and we should be open this afternoon."

Mall officials blamed sewer back-ups for the flooding that dumped raw sewage into attractions such as the waterpark, ice rink and other attractions.

Mark Holik, the mall's chief of security, estimated damage costs would run in the tens of millions of dollars. He also refuted claims that part of the mall's roof collapsed and defended how his staff handled the evacuation.

"There have been reports of parts of the roof caving in but that is not true," he said.

"We have a massive effort to clean up the damage from yesterday. All of the wings of the mall will be open. Everybody worked hard together to minimize damage. We are quite happy with the way it turned out."

Elsewhere, people in the city's west end, which suffered the brunt of the storm, worked to clean out flooded basements.

City officials said more than 500 homes suffered some flooding with calls still coming in.

"It might be cold comfort to those who have flooded basements, but I do want to say the drainage system worked as it was designed to do," said Edmonton Mayor Bill Smith.

"I don't believe there is a system in the world that could take what mother nature dished out to us yesterday."


Smith said it was too early for the city to tally up a damage estimate. He said Edmonton may ask the Alberta government for financial help.

Insurance brokers and adjusters fanned out across the city to help home and business owners file claims.

Jim Rivait, vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada for the Prairies, said many people have coverage for sewer backups but not for seepage.

"We expect there is going to be a significant number of claims," Rivait said, noting that a less severe storm last week prompted more than 1,400 claims.

"Sewer backup is where most of the claims will come from. It will likely be in the millions of dollars."

Crews worked to repair roads damaged by the downpour, including gaping sinkholes and flooded intersections.


Aside from the clean-up crews and the sound of water pumps , it appeared to be business as usual at the mall as tourists shopped and gawked at the damage caused by the storm.

Some visitors even broke out their camcorders to record television crews interviewing mall officials.

"It is not as bad as we thought," said Tom Lelieveld, who was visiting Edmonton from Holland. "We want to see everything, the new shops and what has happened here."

Paramedics reported that no one was hurt at the mall, which police estimate sees as many as 30,000 visitors on a Sunday.

Stormy weather also spawned funnel clouds north of the city and a tornado to the east that tore roofs off buildings.

Sunday's storm was the latest chapter in what has become northern Alberta's summer of soggy misery.

Heavy rains have saturated Edmonton for more than a week and in northern Alberta spawned a tornado that damaged buildings in downtown Grande Prairie Thursday.
-justin-