A hailstorm that struck eastern PEI last Friday caused heavy damage to numerous properties – particularly to crops being grown in the region.
The damage caused by the hail was so severe that over 20,000 residents across the island lost power.
Peter Townshend, a farmer from Rollo Bay, told CBC that he lost approximately a million pounds of potatoes due to the hail.
“I’d say this field is probably 90% defoliated,” Townshend said in an interview. “This field would have been a solid canopy of green and the hail just pretty well ruined this particular field.”
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The farmer maintains about 100 acres of potatoes on Howe Point Road. Townshend explained that although the crop was not a total loss, the damage caused by the hail is a serious setback to his business.
“We have a customer who’s counting on these potatoes … the idea of getting a good crop out of these potatoes is gone out the window already,” he stated. “The best we can hope for is a modest crop.”
Townshend noted that he and his fellow farmers have started notifying their crop insurance agencies about their losses.
CBC reported that Murray Harbour North also took heavy hail damage.
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