h ^ \b \b \b X> \b Vb lb \b \o Vb \b \b Vb Vb \b Vb \b lb lb lb VI lb lb \b lb \b \b lb Vb Vb \b Vb Vb Vb \b Vb"VbX X X X X _/4g£_? STORM 'WORST IN 60 YEARS' By DAVE OBEE Malinsky, who was born in Taber "six least one manhole cover was driven Of The Herald months short of 70 years ago", said the about one metre in the air by the force TABER — Nick Malinsky has to go strong wind was the factor that made of the water hitting the storm sewers. 'way back — to the 1920s — to remem­ Wednesday's storm so severe. Damage in the town was spotting, ber a storm as severe as the one that hit varying widely from block to block. here Wednesday evening. At the height of the storm, which Most damage appeared to be to trees. "It was in 1924, I think. But there's dropped hail and rain on the town just The parking lot of the Church of Jesus been nothing like it since, until now,'' he after 9 p.m., some streets were filled Christ of Latter-day Saints, for exam­ said today. He was up early to drive with water from curb to curb. Several ple, was littered with branches from the around Taber, checking the damage. vehicles were stalled in the streets. At poplars along the lot's western edge. The storm was mostly costly to farm­ ers in the area. Damaged crops — some with lOOpei'-cent damage — can be seen up to 30 kilometres out of Taber, in com­ munities such as Vauxhall, Chin, and Crop damage Fincastle: Today, hail was still in piles 10 centi­ metres deep in some yards, but not visi­ ble two or three houses away. The wind picked up a fifth-wheel 100per cwt camper unit, owned by Tony and Diane: Zilinski, and put it down in the garden next door. Two fences were flattenedby 19i the $20,000 unit, which the Zilinskis have had for three years. _ in some areas The storm destroyed a large maplenJefi By RIC SWIHART his farm guage recorded. tree that provided shade for Morrirfgjj of The Herald "It is pretty bad," said Perl. "It looks Thompson's patio. >t\» Rural and urban residents in the like all the corn is gone in our area, "Bert (Thompson's wife) says not tdQgg Municipal District of Taber are mop­ and all the row crops have had it." worry, but you do," said Thompson. 9^ ping up after gale-force winds, heavy He said sugar beet crops were flat­ " I had noticed some shoots on the tree rain and pea-sized hail wrecked a path tened, but he expects many of the plants I'd have to cut. I guess I won't have to of destruction along Highway 3 Wednes­ to recover. Yields will be hard hit as bother with them any more." day evening. plants will have to develop new leaves Damage to Thompson's Ford dealer­ Farmers and provincial agriculture to allow root development to proceed. ship, Superior Motors, was limited to officials contacted by The Herald today Carole Rex, district agriculturist for water that drained in a west door, and a said damage ranges to 100 per cent on the Municipal District of Taber, said broken sign. A fluorescent ballast was a wide variety of crops. the damage extended at least 25 kilo­ hanging from the sign by its connecting •At least three centre pivot irrigation metres on a southwest-northeast wires by the time the storm ended. sprinkler systems collapsed, and one direction. Next door to Thompson's home, Rick farmer said, "There are wheel move Damage in the centre of the storm Ilczynski said he expected to spend the systems all over the country." was 100 per cent, ranging down to 30 whole day cleaning his yard. Damage The heart of the storm started about per cent on either side. included two large poplars that were three kilometres southwest of Taber, She said the most damage was north knocked over, wiping out a new section proceeding east-northeast on an eight- of Fincastle. of hedge. to 10-kilometre wide path to a point east "Sandy Hills Stock Farm really got it Tom Saunders was at a ball game of Purple Springs. bad," said Rex. when the storm hit. By the time he got Keith McCullock, who farms two kilo­ She said crops with 30 to 50 per cent home, he had trouble finding his drive­ metres south of Fincastle, said he was damage "will come back, although they way, and the wind was rocking his on the south edge of the storm, yet feels will be late." truck. damage to barley fields will be 80 to 85 Potato and sugar beet crops will also Herald photos by DAVE OBEE He said the storm "came in real SNOW FIGHTS IN JULY... One some of the hail that fell on Taber per cent. recover, she said. fast", and could be seen beforehand as coming to some Bodily (sorry) harm at "It was one of the worst storms we A torrential downpour was reported a dark cloud with a lighter one beneath minute, Melvin Bodily, 8, and his Wednesday evening. The next the hands of his brother. The two have ever had," said McCullock. "The at Pincher Station, forcing cars to vir­ it. The clouds were almost at ground six-year-old brother Kenneth were minute, thanks to the photographer's boys, from Twin Falls, Idaho, an hail wasn't that big, but the wind with it tually stop as windshield wipers level in some areas. posing for a photographer, showing evil sense of humor, Kenneth was visiting relatives in Taber. was terrific." couldn't clear water from windows andj He said the damage appeared worse puddles formed on the pavement. ' further north into the eye of the storm. Jim Hahn of Lethbridge, caught on Peter Hooge, whose son farms north the highway, said he ftipn't seen such a of Purple Springs, said, "You name it heavy rain. and it came down." Mike Cooper, who farms north of the He said the heavy winds caused as Oldman River near Pincher Creek, said much damage as the hail, with reports it seemed like about 30 centimetres oi of 80 per cent loss in most cereal water flowed through his farmyard. t crops. Al Toly of Claresholm, district agri It demolished car windows and culturist for the Municipal District ol 'uprooted trees in Taber and created Willow Creek, said there was only s havoc in many farm yards between light rain in the town, and no hail dam Taber and Purple Springs. age had been reported to 10 a.m. Hooge said any hay crops which had not been cut were stripped of all leaves, Kerry Colborne of Bow Island; dis leaving stalks standing. "The first cut­ trict agriculturist for the northern pan ting of hay that was standing at the time of the County of Forty Mile, said there of the storm was pretty well lost." were heavy winds, but little rain and n< Tony Perl, who farms three kilome­ hail. tres east of Taber, said any hay in wind­ Tiny Hankinson of Lethbridge, man rows can be salvaged, although it was ager of Eimpress Foods Ltd., the earl} beaten into the ground, making pick-up assessment is that there will not b. operations more difficult. extensive damage to the vegetable * • m d d — otuu oaies leu UJ un. ...'._ „-jps ma urtu__ee»_3> <*_.« cans in Leth up much of the 6.5 centimetres of rain bridge and Taber. d m & JOE CLARK JOHN CROSBIE BRIAN MULRONEY Final look at candidates m The Tory leader­ ship race is winding & down, with the party's delegates gathering in Ottawa today to start selec­ tion of their new d leader. The Herald today presents an 2. llth-hour look at the eight candidates in MICHAEL WILSON the race. Please see pages C8,9. P. POCKLINGTON * !<_____ d n* d A COUNTRY ROAD just west of evening. Crop insurance Taber is littered with debris from trees representatives are still assessing the . *lf r* after a high winds, hail and rain swept damage from the storm, which cut a through the area Wednesday wide swath through the region. D amage could hit w _K 4 DAVID CROMBIE NEIL FRASER JOHN GAMBLE $400,000 - d without crops 4 TABER — Over $100,000 damage out following the storm repairing the caused by Wednesday's thunderstorm, system. He said crews are out today which dumped about 35 millimetres of cleaning up. rain and hail on the Taber area, have David Irving of TransAlta Utilities in been reported to insurance companies Lethbridge said the company suffered today. widespread damage from. the High winds are reported to have des­ storm.which caused a number of power troyed irrigation equipment, knocked outages in the area. He said crews from down several business signs, toppled Lethbridge and Vauxhall have been trees, destroyed gardens and ripped called in to assist Taber crews with res­ shingles off houses, while large toring services. Some customers have amounts of rain caused flooding and the been without power for 12 hours, but 3. town's sewer system to back up. > Irving said all services should be res­ Mike Saunders of Saunders Insurance tored today. in Taber said his office has received A Paramount Life Insurance Com­ damage reports totalling about pany spokesman said one farmer has $100,000, with more reports still coming reported 100 per cent damage to grain in.