Damage still left in El Paso County more than six months after bad hail storms

Colorado is in hail alley, and Southern Colorado took a big hit from the hail in 2018.

In June 2018, the hail came overnight as it pummeled areas of Fountain.

In July 2018, so much hail dumped over El Paso County it made a winter wonderland scene that quickly melted.

Then, a storm in August 2018 pummeled more than 400 cars parked at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and even killed several animals. People were also hit in the head by softball-sized hailstones.

Following the damage, vacuuming glass was heard at Fort Carson.

“It’s crazy,” Christy Smith said. “It was kind of surreal, the sound was just deafening.”

Smith had her car damaged in the August hail storm.

“[The storm] didn’t last that long, but it’s amazing how 10 minutes can cause so much damage,” Smith said.

What’s left of her car has been in the shop since Thanksgiving. She’s not able to drive it, even though she’s making payments on it.

Smith is one of the thousands who had some sort of damage from the storm.

“When I did drop it off at the body shop, they said they could exceed what the insurance actually paid,” Smith said. “That kind of worries because I’m not sure they’re going to come back and pay what’s left.”

The hail is leaving roofing companies still busy. Shingles are still stacked on rooftops in Fountain, six months after the August storm hit. In south Colorado Springs, holes are still left behind on roofs.

Auto shops are still overflowing as hoods were left dented and windshields shattered.

“The first hailstorm, the hardest thing for the glass guys was to get the actual glass for the people,” said Tanner Peters, owner of Peakview Auto Glass. “There are about five main suppliers here in Colorado — the first hail storm in June pretty much wiped out all the glass for the second hailstorm.”

In Evident PDR’s shop, workers are still busy.

“We’re booked through June,” owner, Ben Lincoln said. “Some of the worst damage I’ve ever seen.”

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA) estimates in total, from both the June and August storms, there was almost $342 million in insured damages and more than 50,000 claims filed.

“Unfortunately, we’re not only seeing the volume of hail, these record-breaking hail storms, but the cost to pay those claims is literally, through the roof,” Carole Walker, Executive Director of RMIIA said.

In November, KRDO NewsChannel 13 showed how some people who filed multiple claims weren’t renewed by their current insurance providers and had to find another carrier.

READ MORE: Homeowners receive non-renewal letters after repeat hail claims

Walker said while they don’t track how many people that happened to, there are adjustments in homeowner’s insurance deductibles for wind and hail because of the kind of storms that have come through hail alley.

“That’s either a percentage deductible for the value that you’ve insured your home for or a straight dollar deductible. That could be as high as $2,500 or even $5,000 just on those wind/hail claims,” Walker said.

But with backups until June, and cars like Smith’s still in the shop, what’s next? What happens if softball sized hail comes around again this year?

The insurance industry is preparing for the worst.

“Based on past claim trends from recent trends, we are in a volatile, catastrophic cycle,” Walker said.

Shops are also learning from the 2018 season.

“We had 300 cars at all times and sometimes somebody slips through the cracks, unfortunately,” Lincoln said.

“We try to stay prepared, you know, going through these last two hail storms it taught us a lot,” Peters said.

It’s leaving people like Smith worried about what’s to come.

“It wasn’t so bad before, but now that I’ve gone through this experience and having my car in the shop for so long, I’m afraid of it. I really am. Not from a personal standpoint, but just from a property standpoint,” Smith said.

To be prepared for damaging hail this summer, Walker recommends checking in with your insurance agent to see what your limits are, if you have a separate wind/hail deductible, and other pieces of your policy.