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Insured damage costs rise to $522M for spring flood in Fort McMurray

Last Updated Aug 4, 2020 at 3:31 pm MDT

An aerial view of the flooding in downtown Fort McMurray is shown on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. An April flood that led to the evacuation of several northern Alberta communities during this spring's ice breakup has caused more than half a billion dollars in insured damage.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Greg Halinda

The April flood, which led to the evacuation of Fort McMurray’s downtown and several northern Alberta communities caused more than half a billion dollars in insured damage.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said the cost of the flooding in Fort McMurray has risen to $522 million from an initial tally in June of $288 million.

That’s an increase of nearly 80 per cent from the initial estimate.

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Officials say the increase comes from updated figures on the flood’s impact on commercial property, personal property and automobiles.

On April 26, rivers nearby several communities, including Fort McMurray and Fort Vermilion, spilt their banks due to ice jams.

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About 13,000 Albertans evacuated from their homes.

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The flooding was one of several extreme weather events in Alberta this year, which also included a $1.2-billion hailstorm in Calgary in June, wind damage in Edmonton in July and another hailstorm in Calgary on July 24.

This report includes excerpts from The Canadian Press.