Hailstorm leaves path of broken windows, damaged roofs, siding

    Mid-afternoon June 7, the National Weather Service issued alerts warning residents in southwest Nebraska that large hail and strong winds were possible later that day.
    Their meteorologists were right.
    An early evening storm last Tuesday, with 2-3 inch hail, left a path of home and building damage, that in at least one respect, rivals the September 2019 hailstorm with its millions of dollars in damage.
    All insurance companies contacted mentioned window damage first.
    “I think there is more window damage from last week’s storm than in 2019,” said Angela Richmond, office administrator for Farm Bureau Financial Services in Imperial.
    They’ve received reports of a lot of window damage, along with damaged roofs and siding to homes.
    Unfortunately, many of the homes hit have had new roofs installed since the storm three years ago.
    Richmond said adjusters are telling her those new 30-year roofs, in many cases, now have about a 20-year life after last week.
    However, the roofs are being totalled in most cases, she said.
    All three insurance companies contacted indicated most major damage occurred in the north part of Imperial to homes and buildings.
    “After driving around, it seems the north end of town was hit the worst,” said Elise Musgrove, agent at HomeTown Agency in Imperial.
    However, other pockets throughout town have damage, too, she said.
    “It’s hit or miss,” she said.
    Pat McNair with McNair Agency agreed the north part of Imperial took the brunt of last week’s storm.
    Roofs and broken windows topped his list of damage, too.
    “We’ve seen quite a few broken windows in the north end of town,” he said.
    Rural homes also suffered, as the storm moved to the northeast.
    McNair is aware of a home northwest of town where hail left holes in the roof. Hail came all the way through the vinyl siding to the insulation at another rural home nearby.
    Richmond at Farm Bureau said they are receiving claims from throughout town, though it appears property was hit harder north of 12th Street.
     The storm wasn’t limited to southwest Nebraska. Damage occurred across the state, as far east as Omaha, as the storm advanced.
    According to Dustin Weiss at Farm Bureau, through all of 2021 in Nebraska, Farm Bureau received 5,138 storm claims. Already in 2022, the company has handled 5,042 claims.
    Vehicles left outside sustained damage to cabs and hoods, according to the insurance company spokespersons.
    Chase County Schools suffered a lot of damage to its property, according to Supt. Adam Lambert’s report to the board Tuesday night.
    Eight to 10 windows were broken, with other damage to garage doors, the building’s stucco exterior, doors and the new storage building built last year.
    Not all the busses could be taken into the bus barn due to space, so some outdoors had damage to side mirrors and other parts.
    The back of the scoreboard at the football field/track was hit hard, he said.
    Imperial Inn’s north side was “destroyed,” as owner Roger Harmon put it.
    He lost 22 windows on the north and other damage to heating and cooling units and siding.
    Harmon was able have the majority of his windows replaced by last Thursday night. He said he had a huge outpouring of support to help cover the broken windows, crediting his staff, too, for getting rooms back in service.
Crop damage
    McNair said there was quite a bit of crop damage in Chase County last week, much of which is still being assessed.
    “But, the wheat and peas were most susceptible,” he said.
    One wheat field he’s aware of had 60-80% damage.
    The corn crop is harder to gauge.
    Richmond at Farm Bureau said corn is up enough that there was some damage, but adjusters are still out.
    McNair said the jury is still out on the corn.
    “It puts farmers in a tough position because if it’s not going to do well, they have a short window of time to decide to replant,” he said.