KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Hail the size of grapefruit, baseballs, apples, tennis balls, golf balls and ping pong balls struck parts of the Kansas City area on Tuesday.
Roofing companies flooded a Parkville neighborhood Wednesday morning after Tuesday's hailstorm damaged shingles there.
“First thing you do, check if you have any leaks because that’s a different ballgame," said Stephen Angler with JPA Roofing.
Angler said JPA Roofing works with all of the major insurance companies to help homeowners get their claim process started.
Eventually, both JPA Roofing and the insurance adjuster will visit the home to assess the roof together.
“I suggest every homeowner in here get the claim number as soon as you can because it’s a long list and could take up to a month before you get to your adjuster if you wait, wait, wait," Angler said.
Angler said it is best for homeowners to use local roofing companies. He said out-of-state roofing companies often come in after destructive storms, and those companies usually won't be present to follow-up on the claims process.
"If you deal with someone out of state and you have a warranty, your warranty is what they call — in this industry — a review mirror," Angler said. "Once they’re gone, is someone from Oklahoma or Texas going to solve your problem? No.”
Parkville homeowner Brian Davis suspected the hailstorm broke about seven or eight of the concrete shingles on his roof. That was until KSHB 41 photographer Chris Morrison showed him a drone view of his roof Wednesday.
“I’m seeing more than what I thought I saw on the ground," Davis said.
Davis went right to his insurance company Tuesday night.
“Yesterday, after it occurred, I didn’t know exactly what to do, so I thought, 'Why don’t I start the application process?'" Davis said.
He used his insurance company's app to start the claim process. He said he explained what happened and answered a few questions on the app.
“I’d be on the phone right now, and probably it would be busy," he said. "So, I was able to make a claim that quickly.”
Before Davis knew how bad the damage was, he collected hailstones from his yard in case it would help his insurance claim. He estimated the stones were about 4 inches in diameter.
“Probably even more than a tennis ball, that’s pretty heavy," Davis said while holding one.
PHOTOS | Hail the size of apples pelted parts of the Kansas City area Tuesday
If your roof or home suffered damage, there are things to watch out for as you seek repairs.
Consumers should get recommendations and references, written estimates from at least three contractors, check complaint records with the Better Business Bureau and understand their payment options and right to cancel.
Here's a downloadable checklist:
LINK | Report a problematic roofer in Kansas
LINK | Report a consumer complaint in Missouri
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