Hailstorms Pummel North Texas, Again

Large hail and strong winds caused considerable damage in heavily populated areas of north Texas overnight on March 23. It was the second time just over a week that the area has been pummeled by hail.

Car windows and sky lights were knocked out in cities in Denton and Collin Counties. Plano appeared to be one of the cities hardest hit, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.

Jennifer Harris, office manager and agent with GEICO in Plano, said all of her customer service representatives were busy.

“We have been inundated with calls all morning,” said Harris. “Autos and homes have been completely demolished.”

Dallas/Fort Worth residents had been warned of potentially strong storms moving into the area which struck just before midnight. The area’s last hailstorm on March 16 caused an estimated $600 million in insured losses.

The losses from the March 23 hailstorm may be just as bad, according to the ICT.

“We are getting calls on damaged vehicles and lots of reports of skylights on homes that have been knocked out,” said Robin Phillips, an agent with Guest Insurance Agency in Plano. “The storm damage appears to have been on a line that included the cities of Plano, Wylie and Sachse.”

Estimated insured losses from the storm will take several days to reach an assessment of the total damage incurred.

Source: The Insurance Council of Texas