Cleanup underway after hail, heavy rain damage Calgary airport

Cleanup is underway at the Calgary International Airport after a devastating storm Monday evening that saw ceiling tiles rain down inside the domestic terminal.

YYC confirmed late Monday that hail and heavy rain caused damage to the building.

“We had some heavy rain and some of the rain took advantage of the holes that were created by the hail falling into the roof system, and that created the spills inside the terminals,” said Calgary Airport Authority COO Chris Miles, in an update Tuesday afternoon.

Video posted to social media showed water raining from the ceiling and what appeared to be sodden pieces of ceiling tile in a puddle by a boarding gate.

The B gates and C gates were evacuated Monday night for the safety of guests and staff.

Part of the domestic terminal building at the airport remains closed due to water damage after the hail and heavy rain pummeled the area a day earlier. The airport said flights were still operating out of other gates.

Dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled with cleanup crews still onsite. The timeline for repairs and cost of the damage is yet to be determined.

“The airport is ready,” says Miles. “We’ve been able to deploy the flights into different parts of the building and are certainly comfortable with delivering the schedule.”

Anika and her husband were making a stopover in Calgary on their way home to Kelowna, they were welcomed to the airport by alarms and water flowing from the roof.

She says tells CityNews the pair weren’t given much direction on what to do next.

“It’s just very tiring and frustrating, and there’s people down here that aren’t that busy, but they’re not allowed to rebook us,” she says. “Nobody can tell us why we’re not automatically rebooked.”

“They said that would happen three to four hours later in the night, and it hasn’t happened yet.”

Travelers are advised to check with their airline for updates on their flight.

No injuries were reported during the hail storm, but at the nearby long-term airport parking lot, there was damage to several vehicles.

The storm that made its way through the north-end of the city also caused destruction in northeast Calgary communities like Skyview and Cornerstone before heading east towards Strathmore.