Thousands of El Paso County residents file claims for hail damage
By: Haley Candelario June 14, 2018 Updated: June 15, 2018 at 6:33 am
Jackie Jordan sweeps up class from the back windows of his car that was blown out by hail early Wednesday morning on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 in Fountain, Colorado. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette) Thousands of El Paso County residents filed insurance claims as homeowners, towns and agencies began assessing the damage caused by Wednesday's hailstorm.
State Farm said it received about 700 homeowner claims and more than 2,180 auto claims following the hailstorm, and the United States Automobile Association said it had received more than 10,000 claims as of Thursday.
The storm, with hail up to 3 inches in diameter, struck after 1 a.m. and is the worst overnight hailstorm to hit the region in more than 20 years.
Homes in the Fountain area had windows busted out, roofs destroyed and siding shredded by the large hail which punched through vehicles' windshields and rear windows.
Pikes Peak Community College's Director of Facilities Bob Rogers said about 250,000 square feet of roof and 70 state vehicles were damaged during the storm.
No injuries from the hailstorm were reported.
Fort Carson was inspecting roofs, lights, solar panels and military vehicles for damage, but had no estimate of how much had been caused.
County Assessor Steve Schleiker said some people may seek a tax break for damage to their homes, but it is unlikely they will be successful.
"That damage (from the hailstorm) will be taken care of in a shorter amount of time, unlike a wildfire, which takes years to repair," Schleiker said. "(But) we did make adjustments for the hailstorm several years ago because the storm flooded basements and caused black mold issues."
Hail and lightning knocked out power to about 5,300 Fountain residents and businesses and the municipal water system was temporarily affected, said Fountain Utilities spokesperson Erin Garcia. Power was restored by Thursday morning.
Fountain police announced Wednesday that they would allow a 14-day grace period for residents to replace windshields after the storm.
"Our number one priority is meeting the needs of our community," Garcia said. "The support we have seen from our community has been overwhelming. It's going as well as it can."
El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman said Coparts Inc., an online auction for salvaged and damaged vehicles with an office in Colorado Springs, estimated damage to vehicles could top $10,000.
Broerman said his staff will meet Thursday to discuss how they will handle the additional workload expected from vehicle owners applying for a salvage title for an insurance claim. Salvage vehicles are those damaged in such occurrences as floods and hailstorms to the extent that repairs would cost more than the vehicle is worth.
"We had a similar situation two years ago with the hailstorm in July 2016 (when) 70,000 vehicles were damaged in the region during that hailstorm," Broerman said.
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Historic hail storm hits southern El Paso County
Posted: Jun 13, 2018 1:29 PM EDT Updated: Jun 13, 2018 1:30 PM EDT
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A historic hail storm hit southern El Paso County in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Hail was found from quarter size up to nearly the size of a baseball. National Weather Service Pueblo reported that until this storm, there had never been a storm in El Paso county during the morning hours (12am-11:59am) with hail 2 inches or larger.
The area in and around Fountain seemed to get hit the hardest, causing widespread damage to homes and vehicles.
News 5 talked to one homeowner who said it seemed like no one made it through the storm unscathed. "I drove the neighborhood, I didn't see a car without a broke windshield. It's going to be a catastrophe for everybody," said.....
With more storms possible later today in the southern and eastern parts of El Paso County, residents on the plains may not be out of the woods yet.