Three unoccupied trailers sit on their side in Golf View Mobile Acres after a powerful wind suspected to be a plow wind pushed over trailers during a thunder storm on July 10. A fourth trailer was on its side and was occupied when it blew over, but the owner and a dog were uninjured.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
A severe storm system and suspected plow wind has left its mark on Kindersley with varying degrees of damage to structures throughout the community.
The Kindersley area was placed under a severe thunder storm warning on July 10 and at approximately 7 p.m., a violent storm system was unleashed on the Town of Kindersley. Wind speeds measured from the Kindersley Regional Airport were only 74 km/h, but stronger winds hit in town.
Approximately 32 mm or 1 1/4 inches of precipitation fell on the community in a matter of about 10 to 15 minutes and town officials have been receiving “numerous reports” of damage to private property as a result of the storm.
The damage was widespread and there was localized flooding in areas of town including Railway Avenue between First and Second Sts. West. A detour was set up on Railway Avenue. The wind did its fair share of damage, but the worst hit areas of all were exposed to powerful winds coming from west of Kindersley.
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Several trailer courts in town experienced damages. Four camping trailers in Golf View Mobile Acres were thrown onto their side and other trailers had shifted in the wind. Three of the trailers were unoccupied, but a woman and her dog were in one trailer.
According to the trailer owner, she was sitting inside when the storm hit. One side of the trailer lifted off the ground twice just a little bit and the owner did not believe it would tip over completely, but over it went when the side of the trailer lifted for a third time. The owner said she was a little shaken up, but all right.
The wind sent various items from the town’s waste and recycle facility out into the ditch along Highway 21, and items were even strewn onto the highway. The waste and recycle building also experienced a fair bit of damage.
Several trees and fences did not survive the storm, and Prairie Winds Estates took a direct hit. A well known tree protecting the green on the 4th Hole at the Kindersley Golf Club was blown down, but not all golfers will be disappointed by the loss. A bucket elevator system at Canpulse Foods Ltd. on Railway Avenue was blown off the top of a bin, and it fell onto an adjacent bin causing more damage.
As a result of damages from the storm, the Town of Kindersley has applied for the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP). The program covers a portion of the uninsurable losses from natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes and plough winds among others.
Council members passed a resolution on July 16 to apply for PDAP on behalf of the municipality and private property owners. People are encouraged to get their insurance claims started because PDAP is not a substitute for insurance. The program only covers uninsurable losses.
Fire Chief Ron Hope of the Kindersley Fire & Rescue Brigade said the fire department received an emergency call at about 7:20 p.m., and the report was for a mobile home or recreational vehicle (RV) that had tipped onto another RV with entrapment.
Hope said there were two people in the trailer, but the owner’s daughter had later climbed into the trailer after it was already on its side. He confirmed that the occupant and her dog were unharmed by the incident. While on the call, the department started to receive other calls for service.
The power had gone out and the department received a second “tone” for a man that was trapped in an elevator at a local hotel, so members left the trailer court to respond. There were three additional calls due to downed power lines, so the department was responding to five calls at the same time. Hope said the department has only 20 members and they had wrapped up the calls after about 90 minutes.
He noted that the woman in the toppled trailer was relieved when one of the department’s members opened the door, which was then facing toward the sky. The chief said he has seen wind damage before, but nothing quite like what he saw last Tuesday night.
“I’ve seen some storms go through with roofs and stuff (come) off buildings over the years,” he said, adding that the men were not sure what to expect with a report of an RV on top of another RV – only to learn four had flipped over in total. “It was a little bit different experience than what we’ve seen.”
Hope said the RCMP members were responding, along with SaskPower crews, and everything about the response went well. He said he did not hear of any injuries as a result of the violent storm. Firefighters checked inside each toppled trailer.
Chanell Brick, the town’s bylaw enforcement officer and deputy Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) co-ordinator, said officials did not have to open an emergency operations centre to respond to the incident. She noted that she and a colleague were checking on the response efforts.
First responders were active in town. Brick said the public works department was also part of a co-ordinated response with fire and police. The Canadian Red Cross worked with officials to deploy flood clean-up kits to residents.
She noted that the belief is the town was hit by a plough wind. Brick contacted the PDAP co-ordinator the morning after the storm to get information. If the town’s PDAP application is approved, residents will be able to apply to the program to access assistance for their uninsurable losses related to the incident on July 10.
The flood kits contained a handle with squeegee and mop attachments, mould cleaner, gloves and other items in a bucket. Brick said the town has asked people to report their damages to the town because the PDAP application hinges on thresholds.
“Part of the application for PDAP is that we have to prove that there is damages exceeding (amounts) under those guidelines,” she said, recognizing that the damages must exceed $5,000 for one person or a minimum of $25,000 for five people. “You have to be able to substantiate that.”
Brick said town officials believe the community will qualify for the program. If approved, application packages will be available at the town office. She added that she was pleased by the response from community members and first responders.
Kim Vogel, the town’s director of transportation and environmental services, said the town made an insurance claim with respect to the landfill. She said one small storage building was demolished, there was damage to fencing and the main building had damage to three bay doors. Two bay doors were lost altogether.
She noted that the town also uses the landfill property to store materials such as pipe for water main replacements. Pipe used for irrigation and water and sewer lines was blown in the ditch and on the highway, she explained.
The town’s sanitary storm sewer system was overwhelmed by the excessive moisture and all of the sewer lifts went down. The lift stations shut down in certain situation to prevent more serious damage form occurring. Several of the town’s trees were also damaged, Vogel said.
Mayor Rod Perkins said he was up north at the lake when the storm hit, but he was informed about the incident as soon as it happened and town officials were sending him photos to help keep him abreast of the situation. He added that he would encourage residents to take advantage of PDAP if the town’s application is approved.
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