Following Hail Storm, Contractors Rush To Damaged Neighborhoods
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One day after golf ball-sized hail fell across the Twin Cities, families are adding up the damage from the storm.
The National Weather Service says large hail damaged homes and vehicles from Chaska to Stillwater Sunday night.
Some of that hail hit the neighborhood of River Rock Drive North in Chanhassen. From far away, the homes look untouched, but take a closer look and there are many new-found flaws.
"We have a bunch of holes in the siding, and I think the neighbor across the street has holes in their roof," said Jennifer Pauling.
She watched as the one-and-a-half inch hail fell, and she even kept some as a souvenir.
"I've lived in the state for 20 something years," Pauling said, "and I've never seen anything this big."
Little did she know that the hail would leave a lasting mark.
"I think it was more shock, because we had no idea until we came outside and saw the damage and the holes," Pauling said.
Her home was among dozens damaged in her neighborhood.
"We've probably run 10-15 homes right there," said Corey Loren of Arko Exteriors on Monday morning.
Contractors seeing an easy market showed up early to make the rounds and offer repairs.
"We haven't gotten an actual estimate, they're just more talking and trying to get our business," Pauling said.
Down the street, Ryan Stinson of Stinson Services was brought in to estimate the damage on a neighbor's home. He said this is the start of several busy days.
"On a scale of one to five, that's how we gauge them, it'll be about a 3. It looks like there's 130,000 homes affected by storm that came through," Stinson said.
Most of the repairs Stinson found on the Chanhassen home are cosmetic, mainly dings and dents to siding.
"It's plastic siding so it's susceptible to chipping pretty easily," Stinson said.
The Insurance Federation of Minnesota reminds homeowners to be on the lookout for contractors who show up to your door after storms.
Nicknamed "storm chasers," often times these contractors are from out of town and will inflate the price of repairs.
Experts advise homeowners to go with a local company and ask for resources. Also, make sure the contractor is licensed and insured.