Cleanup efforts in Prince Albert to continue into next week after brief but destructive storm

Residents of Prince Albert, Sask., continue to clean up after a brutal summer storm made its way through the region on Wednesday morning.

Rain, hail and heavy winds wreaked havoc on the cityand reduced visibility to nearly nothing.

"The storm that hit Prince Albert was the result of a band of severe thunderstorms that were moving quickly across central Saskatchewan," saidCBC Saskatchewan weather expertFiona Odlum.

The storm arrived at around 9:30 a.m. CST, with multiple trees and power lines coming down.

The worst of the rain and hail had stopped by approximately 10:30 a.m. CST.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, downed power linesresulted in multiple outages while pooling water caused localized flooding.

Downed trees were also a cause for concern.

Tim Yeaman, parks manager for the City of Prince Albert, said crews were dispatched soon after the storm let upto assess the damage in the core of the city.

Members of the Prince Albert Fire Departmentresponded to 24 calls within 45 minutes of the storm arriving, according to a Facebook post.

The calls included two structure fires, several trees onfire and downed power lines.

One of those structure fires was atcole St. Mary High School.

Students and staff were moved to the nearby Sacred Heart Cathedral as a result of the small fire, according to newsrelease issued by Prince Albert Catholic School Division director Lorel Trumier.

"There was a small electrical fire associated with the fire panel at cole St. Mary. As a result of the quick response of a caretaker, the fire was extinguished," the release reads.

No injuries were reported.

Environment and Climate Change Canada reported thathailmeasured to be the size of a quarter, or2.4 cm, fell in the rural municipality of Buckland, located just north of Prince Albert.

The federal departmentalso reported wind gusts peaked at 85 km/hr.

"The storm was short-lived but it definitelyleft an impression," saidOdlum.

Yeaman said that the city has received somewhere between 150 and 160 calls for service, with many stemming from city-owned trees being damaged or having fallen.

He said cleanup is ongoing, with city crews having secured most of the immediate dangers to the public.

As of Thursday, crews werebeginning to process the wood, which will be chipped and then used in the local landfill.

Yeaman asked for patience from residents as crews continue continue cleanup efforts, which he estimated will now continue into the middle of next week.

He said it's very hard to estimate the cost of damages at this time and that more calls for assistance are expected.