Windstorm has roofing company phones ringing off the hook

Damage from the massive Regina windstorm Wednesday is keeping roofers busy.

Gusts up to 126 kilometres per hour blew through the city, throwing debris everywhere, destroying trees and signs, and taking a toll on homes and businesses alike.

Mike Smith, one of the owners of Wheatland Roofing, said he has never seen damage this extensive throughout his 26 years in the business.

“It has been absolutely crazy … especially with it being in January. We are in a situation where there are a lot of homeowners and businesses out there that are either missing their whole roof, their partial roof or they’re just missing a few shingles,” he explained.

Since Wednesday, the phone has been ringing off the hook at Wheatland. Smith guesses the company has received between 700 and 800 calls in that time.

That many customers, with so many different degrees of damage, has forced the staff to prioritize the worst damage.

“We’re going to hit the houses that have exposed wood first. We want to get those watertight. Then, the homeowner can deal with their insurance company as far as getting the adjusting done, and then setting up a time for a permanent repair. Our first priority is just to make sure that we get the roof watertight,” he said.

His company focuses mostly on slanted roofs for homes, which have been hit hard. However, he’s seen some incredible damage on roofs that other companies tend to handle.

“A situation that I have never seen, we’re seeing complete flat-roof systems being torn right off of buildings. We’ve seen several of those. I have never seen that before,” he said.

While Smith and other roofing companies throughout the city catch up with the aftermath of the storm, he’s asking for patience from people who might be dealing with some damage.

“We’re trying to do the best we can right now with the weather we have,” he said.

Fixing roofs in the winter does bring some risks, he said. Those include a risk of slipping from frost and ice.

“We have to take safety very seriously before we get on the roof, so we’re really hoping that our homeowners can be patient and understanding,” he said.