A powerful windstorm swept through parts of Alberta on Thursday. Environment Canada says the path of the storm was between Slave Lake and Red Deer with the epicenter of the damage between Edmonton and Leduc.
Wind gusted up to 130 km/h in some parts and the storm only lasted around four minutes.
At Pigeon Lake, the roof was ripped off of a part of the Cedar Crest Inn. Contractors told the owners that there were shingles underneath the tin roof that reduced the damage.
Louis Bull Tribe owns and operates the Inn, the RV park, and Pigeon Lake’s golf course.
“A lot of our trees were uprooted, our grounds crew was really busy today, chainsaws out removing everything they could and getting everything ready, and we’re currently open,” said Shaleigh Raine, Louis Bull Tribe lands and consultation manager on Friday.
Raine said for the past five years, the tribe has been working hard renovating and revitalizing the area to make it a community hub. She said they had recently got funding and architectural plans in place to start renovations on the Cedar Crest Inn to be complete in the fall.
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“We had to focus on the golf course, then the RV park, then now we are moving to the Cedar Crest Inn, so it is just unfortunate that the storm had to hit when we were moving at such a fast pace,” said Raine.
She said fortunately there was no water damage inside the inn, but the damage from the storm will set them back. Raine said she hopes to have the renovations complete by fall 2026.
Calvin Macauley was inside watching the Oilers game when the storm hit Itaska Beach at Pigeon Lake.
“I came outside just in time to hear the crack, and the one go down on his house over there,” said Macauley. He saw two massive trees fall on his neighbours cabin. On the lake, several docks flipped over and turned.
Around 15 minutes later, he says, he received the Alberta Emergency Alert on his phone.
“We’ve been out here 20 years now and this is only the second time we’ve seen a storm that bad,” said Macauley.
At Edmonton International Airport, high winds forced the departure level of the terminal to temporarily close due to airborne debris, while inbound flights were also redirected to Calgary.
The damage affected some structures, signage, the roof of the south pedestrian pedway and several vehicles that were parked in the parkade.
“My understanding is we have not seen winds that strong in more than 60 years, so our structures definitely are being assessed today. We are taking a look at what needs to be fixed, what needs to be inspected,” said Erin Isfeld with YEG airport corporate communications.
“For the most part, nothing extremely significant and the number one thing here for us is that no one was injured.”
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