REDCLIFF, Alta. – “A hailstorm is the worst thing that could happen to Redcliff,” said Richard Nemeth, as he heaved another shovelful of glass into a wheelbarrow.
The Nemeths are one of many Redcliff greenhouse owners who lost their glass-covered hothouses after a 10-minute hailstorm smashed their buildings July 10.
Accompanied by furious, rolling winds that twisted trees, buildings and machinery, hail stones the size of golf balls pummelled everything that faced south.
In total, 54,000 sq. metres of growing space was lost, or 40 percent of Redcliff’s total production. Growing vegetables and flowers for the North American market is the number one industry for this town 14 kilometres west of Medicine Hat.
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Clean up is physically demanding and sometimes treacherous as crews wade through panes of glass that continue to fall.
Some owners are dismantling everything so they can rebuild. Others plan to build plastic roofs over existing steel frames before fall.
The Nemeths lost greenhouses on their farm three km south of Redcliff as well as a 2,300 sq. metre glass structure in town.
A plastic greenhouse on the farm was crushed but they managed to save vegetables trapped underneath by propping the structure up with two by fours, said Nemeth.
Their glass house in Redcliff held thousands of tree seedlings contracted by a reforestation company. Each tree must be checked for glass damage and then the flats of seedlings will be moved to another part of the farm.
Nemeth estimates they will finish clearing glass and moving trees within two weeks. Like many other growers, they had insurance on the structure but no coverage on the trees because they considered the premiums too high.
For Marian Voss and her family, the loss of their glass houses is devastating because they let their insurance lapse 11 months ago. About 1,800 sq. metres of cucumbers died after the glass roof was smashed. The controlled environment for the plants was lost and they withered and died within 24 hours, she said.
Because the destruction was so complete, people came in droves to see the wreck. Police finally cordoned off the area to prevent someone from getting hurt by falling glass, said Voss.
The Voss’ glass buildings will now be covered with plastic. Existing poly-covered houses are being repaired because hail pierced the plastic. The buildings must be replaced by winter because a heavy dump of snow could collapse the roofs.
Tomato grower Matt Reid said crops in his polyethylene-covered houses survived the storm but complete replacement of the plastic is necessary.
In total, 23 acres of poly houses in Redcliff will be recovered.
Replacement will be slow because so many growers suffered damage and there aren’t enough trained roofers to install the plastic covers.
“Usually all the growers would do it, barn-raising fashion. I’d get 20 growers and they’d poly my house and I’d buy them a case of beer. It’s a real community thing. But when you get a big disaster like this….” said Reid.
No government help is expected. Reid said some relief is available through the Alberta agriculture financial services program, which will allow 1995 farm loans to be paid at the end of mortgage periods. Equity free loans may also be available.
