The quiet Saturday afternoon of July 4 in the village of Elkhorn turned rather violent when a powerful hail storm passed through the southeast side of the village.
Light rain turned to heavy rain, then to golf ball-sized hail, with the wind roaring as it stripped leaves and branches off the trees and destroyed gardens.
On the main street in Elkhorn, a small car from BC, driven by two seniors, was swept off the road into a waterfilled drainage ditch, its front end under water. Some locals sprang into action, getting a tow rope on the car to pull it out.
The couple were shaken up but not injured.
Throughout the affected area, there were many broken windows, destroyed flowerbeds, damaged cars, and vinyl siding on homes were filled with holes. The air vents, roofs and windows of several campers and trailers were heavily damaged.
At a farm outside of the village, the storm destroyed many trees, knocked down a hydro pole, and caused injury to several horses and pets.
A long-standing red barn, once part of the former community residential school, had major damage to the walls and roof. The owners expect that it will have to be torn down.
Since the hail storm, there has been extensive clean-up in the affected parts of the village and local insurance companies will certainly be getting lots of claim calls.
