The Macklin Lake Regional Park was recently hit hard by a storm that passed through the area. Checking in with the park and the staff, everything seems to be back on track.

On August 3rd, several trees were pulled from the ground by winds that climbed as high as 90km/h. The town was also pelted by hail which varied in sizes from peas to softballs, though most of it managed to miss the campsite. A tornado warning was also issued for the area, though thankfully, none came through.

Afterwards, the park spent the next 7 days cleaning up. Lorne Coleman, the General Manager for Camp operations at the park, shared the extent of the damage.

"It toppled over twenty-five, fifty year old trees, so the cleanup there was extensive. The damage to one vehicle was pretty much a total write off, and there was a half-ton that got struck by a tree as it fell down. the rest of it was just minor. Leaves and branches that needed extensive cleaning and raking."

While the numbers haven't been finalized yet, Colemen estimates that the damage and cleanup will end up costing between 10 and $15,000.

On the bright side, the campsite is once again open, and several members of the community were able to spare some time to come out and help with the cleanup effort.

The expenses from the storm will put quite the dent in the park's wallet, but Coleman shared their plan to try and get some of that money back.

"We're applying for the Disaster Assistance Program to try and recoup some of the lost revenue, and lost trees and stuff like that, because our trees are going to have to be replanted, and that takes about 10 to 15 years to get those trees planted again. We've submitted an application, but have not heard anything back."

Coleman expressed his thanks to all of the volunteers who came out and helped, saying that the park looks like nothing ever happened.