It has been nearly two weeks since an intense storm system battered parts of the Greater Toronto Area, but many residents are still trying to get their damages addressed through insurance companies amid soaring demand at local businesses.Among those people still trying to get damaged sorted out is East York resident John McCorkell, who had a large tree crush his vehicle. He said while filing a claim at first was quick, the write-off process since then has been convoluted and frustrating.“The insurance company has given us a bit of the runaround saying the car was here and the car was in Ajax,” he told CityNews.He noted getting compensation for a replacement vehicle has been hindered due to a lack of documentation being issued by his bank on a small amount owing on the car. Making matters more inconvenient, McCorkell said the insurance company has since cut off temporary rental car access.“They started giving us paperwork to fill out, more paperwork, silly paperwork … and a lot of people on the phones didn’t know what they were talking about really,” he said.“I’m just happy it didn’t hit me, hit my wife, hit my dog. It hit my car … we’re on the phone every day, we’re on hold.”High winds ripped out trees and tore down power lines while torrential rain dropped more than 100 millimetres in some areas on Sept. 2, flooding basements and major streets. Some areas dealt with strong hail. Toronto fire officials reported just shy of 1,500 calls over a 24-hour period, which they said was their second-highest call volume in a day, after the 2013 ice storm.Post-storm damage recovery has been a boon for local businesses, particularly restoration companies and automotive repair shops. Raj Singh is a manager with Carstar Toronto Eastern, a smaller shop that specializes in automotive body repair work. He showed CityNews an electric vehicle that was impaled at the back of the engine and through the hood by a large tree branch. There were damages to the windows and doors as well. No one was inside at the time.“This [storm] could take the cake. It potentially could be a total (loss). We don’t know yet, we’re still waiting for the insurance company to get back to us. They have to authorize us what to do,” Singh said, noting if repairs are authorized a disassembly of the car and carrying out the full repairs could be a month or two.“We’ve had a couple of hail damage claims … several roof damages we’ve had in the past. So far, this (damaged vehicle) is the biggest one that hit our store.Related:‘Anytime it rains, we panic’: South Riverdale residents say flood mitigation efforts need to be fast-trackedSome Toronto residents still waiting for fallen trees to be cleared after massive stormNorth York flower farm destroyed by last week’s stormOver at Excellence Auto Collision in Scarborough, the business has been inundated with cars battered by hail. In response to all the calls, the company brought a high-tech vehicle scanner into its shop and flew in a scanning specialist from Calgary to thoroughly scan vehicles.Tomel Sidi was among the steady stream of drivers who brought his Hyundai in for a scan on Tuesday. He told CityNews he was in a coffee shop near Bathurst Street and Lawrence Avenue West when the storm happened as he sat inside helplessly watching large chunks of hail fall down.“(The damage is) very bad. I think I have a few hundred dents at least that I can see,” Sidi said before pointing out plenty of dents on the hood, roof and sides of his car.“It’s not my fault and I have insurance, I just need to pay the ($2,000) deductible.’When CityNews visited the business Tuesday afternoon, vehicles were coming and going for the detailed, 360-degree scans in 20-to-30-minute intervals. Director Mark Millson said personnel at DccScan from Calgary are well-versed in processing hail-related damage. One by one, vehicles are slowly driven through the popup scanner outfitted with various lighting strips and high-resoution cameras.“Traditionally this would all be counted by hand where somebody would sit there with a light … very time consuming. Obviously (there’s) the ability for human error to miss a dent,” he said, pointing to a computer screen full of different-coloured circles based on the size of dent.As soon as the scan was processed in approximately five minutes, the system detected 211 dents in total. The biggest concentrations were 49 dents on the roof, 39 along the left-side doors and the rail above the doors, 23 on the left fender and 24 on the hood. “Judging by the photos, the car was sitting to the left of the hail,” he said, adding a detailed report made up of live video and photos will be generated and given to the customer as well as their insurance company.When it comes to insurance claims and navigating the complex processes following the Sept. 2 storm, the Insurance Bureau of Canada activated its consumer information centre to assist. Anyone can contact the centre at 1-844-227-5422 or through email at ConsumerCentre@ibc.ca.Related:Rogers Stadium damage report sent to City of Toronto as clock ticks down to AC/DC showToronto Wildlife Centre recovering from significant damage suffered in Wednesday stormSinkhole opens in Vaughan after Wednesday’s storm, forcing indefinite closure on Huntington Road“What went through my mind was sort of, ‘Here we go again’ … these events are no longer unexpected,” Anne Marie Thomas, the organization’s consumer and industry relations director, told CityNews Tuesday afternoon.She said it will likely be another month before the bureau has a rough estimation of the damages seen across the Greater Toronto Area, but she noted there was severe damages that were leaving insurance companies very busy as adjustors carry out the massive amount of work before them.Thomas said hail-related damages should be covered under comprehensive or “all-perils” sections of an insurance policy if the policy holder opted to buy those two elements. She said the damages are typically not considered to be “at fault,” and shouldn’t drive up individual premiums. However, she noted broader premiums in a jurisdiction could go up if there is a large number of payouts for damage.As for damages to homes involving trees, debris, flooding, wind or other causes, she said insurance companies are triaging the worst cases first — ones where people have been displaced.“It can take longer for the adjusters to make their way through all of the claims. It can take longer for the remediation companies to get out because there are only so many to go around,” Thomas said.“When there’s a significant event like this, it can take a bit longer. It just requires some patience. Stay engaged with your insurance company, but be patient because these these kinds of events claim settlement does take time.”Regardless of circumstance, she urged anyone affected to take lots of pictures and document as much as possible.“There is no such thing as too much information when it comes to an insurance company and your claim. Provide receipts of everything. So if you’ve had to rent equipment to help dry out your place or you’ve had to … buy wood to board up your windows if they were damaged by hail, keep those receipts. Your insurance company may reimburse you for those if you have the coverage in place,” Thomas said.“Verify anyone who comes to your house saying, ‘I’m here with your insurance company.’ Find out from your insurance company the name of the firm that they have enlisted for your property. You want to make sure that you’re dealing with the right person.”With files from The Canadian Press