RAYTOWN, Mo. — Large hailstones were reported in many locales on the eastern side of the metro on Thursday night, ranging from Blue Springs, Harrisonville and Raytown.
One weigh station operator told FOX 4 News there were so many hailstones on Interstate 49, it looked as if Harrisonville was covered in snow.
Repair specialists with expertise in home repair and auto body work were busy during the afternoon and evening hours, assessing damage left by this storm, which packed hailstones as big as golf balls.
Raytown homeowner Sarah Boyd was caught in the storm, while hailstorms 1.5 inches in diameter fell on her cars and home.
“It sounded pretty horrifying,” Boyd said. “It was hitting the glass while we were driving. It felt like it could break in at any time.”
Boyd snapped cell phone photos near her family’s home on Arlington Avenue in Raytown. They showed the streets covered in hail, and the chaotic scene it caused.
“There’s kids getting off the bus and they were all running around,” Boyd said. “You could hardly see because it was running around so fast. It felt like forever.”
Boyd said she was struck by one of the hailstones, and it left her with a big bruise on her ribs.
And it creates a busy day at work for contractors like Randy Grady. He operates Remodeling Made Easy, a Harrisonville-based company that repairs dented siding and broken roofs.
“I wasn’t sure what the damage was until I went on Storm Prediction Center, and I saw that Harrisonville had gotten an inch-and-a-half of hail.”
Grady said hailstorms like this one can cause enough damage to keep him busy for up to two months. He says Boyd’s home will need a new roof, after being pounded by the heavy ice cubes.
“It pretty much tears up a roof,” Grady explained. “It tears up everything about the roof. A lot of times the guttering. A lot of times the vents, especially on this house.”
Boyd and her family have lived in that home for six years, and they never dreamed they’d need to replace their roof so soon. Grady explained that in many cases, the homeowner’s insurance policy covers the expense of replacing damaged fixtures, such as roofs and metal siding.
One auto body repairman in Raytown said he was working late Thursday night after getting a half-dozen damaged cars into his garage, and dozens of calls from people needing help.
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