North Texas Residents Assessing Storm Damage
The Dallas/Fort Worth area is cleaning up after storms rocked the area with major wind and hail damage. The National Weather Service Regional Office in Fort Worth said there were four general areas of damage with the hardest hit regions believed east of Dallas and several counties south and southeast of Fort Worth.
Storm teams were sent to the hardest hit areas to determine what damage was caused by tornadoes. Tom Bradshaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there was 90 mile per hour wind gusts in the vicinity of Alvarado and Waxahachie and winds believed to be in excess of 100 miles per hour between Terrell and Quinlan east of Dallas. He said most of the golf ball size hail fell north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Homes and businesses with major wind damage were reported in Kaufman, Johnson, Ellis, Hunt, Denton, Collin and Hopkins Counties.
While it may be several days before all of the insured losses have been tallied, residents are urged to immediately assess any damage they may have received from the storm and then contact their insurance agent or insurance company. Insurance adjusters will respond to each call as soon as possible.
Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, said residents should seek qualified contractors for repairs and be wary of repairmen who show up at the front door.
“Before hiring anyone to make repairs, take the time to check references and backgrounds,” said Hanna. “Don’t make any payments until work has been finished and you’re completely satisfied with the work.”
Source: Insurance Council of Texas