North Texans Start Cleaning Up After Strong Hailstorms
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PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) - Hail the size of golf balls turned vehicles across North Texas into Swiss cheese late Wednesday night. Plano was one of the hardest hit communities, along with parts of north Dallas, as the powerful storm moved from west to east pounding the Metroplex with ice.
The hail roared through the Plano area just after 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday. No injuries were reported, but cars were beaten and dented. Car windows were cracked and shattered. Homes were left in need of repairs.
Every car in the hotel parking lot at the Courtyard Dallas, near the intersection of Plano Parkway and Preston Road, suffered some form of damage. At least a dozen had windows knocked out. For out-of-towners staying at the hotel on business, their first order of business was to call their insurance agent or rental car company.
Hail storm victim Robert Tippett said he knew it wasn't going to good when he saw golf ball and racquetball size hail pounding the parking lot last night. "So, I thought pretty sure I was going to come out and find this and sure enough I did. She [vehicle] is all dented up and I've got a broken windshield. I will have to call the insurance company... and figure that out."
Some folks did their best to patch holes that were left in windows and windshields, hoping that tape and plastic tarps will hold up during the blustery weekend ahead.
Ron Bourgeois heard the severity of the storm when it hit his home. Hail shattered five of his skylights, letting water pour into the house. He was helpless when the hailstones started to attack his Lexus, which was parked on the street. "I opened the door because my car was out there," Bourgeois said. "I tried to put the car in the garage, but I got hit in the head with a hailstone, so I gave up on that."
And people were not even safe inside of their homes. Bourgeois dodged shards of glass and more hail that came in through his now open roof. "A lot of glass and water on the floor," he explained. "Neighbors came by and helped me clean most of that up. We're concerned. I reported it all, but there's another storm coming through and, right now, it's just water -- the water is able to come directly into the house."
Meanwhile, in Dallas, business owner Joe Martinez was getting ready to close up for the night when the storm arrived. People raced back inside to take cover. Martinez stated that the hail sounded like "a lot of rocks and thunder, like everything on top of the rooftop hitting real hard. I didn't know if it damaged the top of the roof or ceiling or not. Definitely outside was damaging a lot of cars."
Martinez said that his insurance will help pay for any damages to his business. "It's sad," he added. "I've got too many bills I've got to pay already. Now, I've got this one to go. So, I'll just keep working and get it done."
Wednesday night's storm comes after another strong bout of hail just a week earlier in the Fort Worth area. That incident left a number of exotic animals dead at the Fort Worth Zoo. The Insurance Council of Texas estimated that the area's damages from that storm will reach $600 million in auto and property claims.
Bourgeois and Martinez are now left watching the skies and wondering what will happen next. They and many others in the Metroplex will get a better assessment of the storm damages on Thursday. But, as Bourgeois said, there are more rain chances in the North Texas weather forecast on Saturday night and into Sunday morning... and we are not even into April yet.
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