Texas weather: Hail damages roofs in Taylor

Hail damages roofs in Taylor

People across central Texas are cleaning up damage from Thursday's storms. In Taylor, large hail damaged roofs and the sides of homes.

TAYLOR, Texas - A day after severe thunderstorms battered Taylor, hail dents are the only remaining indicators of bad weather.

Hail about the size of a palm hit Erin Herbrich’s home in Taylor.

"All of a sudden it sounded like, I guess the best I can explain it, is hammers, so maybe if someone was taking a hammer and just banging it on the roof and windows," said Herbrich. "It was just a scary situation all around. I mean you expect hail, and we’re used to marble and pea size but, in my experience, this is the largest hailstorm I’ve ever been through."

A local roofing company deemed her roof a goner.

Clean up in Johnson City

Clean up is underway after severe storms tore through parts of Central Texas Thursday night. Johnson City was one of the first areas to be hit, and the Hill Country town saw hail as large as grapefruit.

She’ll have to fully replace it.

"It’s like a pothole in the street, so if you have a pothole, and it rains, water just sits," said Aaron Bernard, with Water Damage and Roofing. "If you don’t fix it, it just gets bigger and worse. That’s the same thing as a shingle. When hail strikes hit it, it essentially causes a tiny pothole in the shingle."

Before deciding to replace an entire roof, Bernard said insurance looks for eight to ten hail strikes in a 10 by 10 square.

"This roof had probably 50 or more because the hail came down so hard and so heavy," said Bernard.

He said about 65,000 homes got caught in the storms Thursday.

"The hail as it blew through here was really bad," said Bernard. "The homes that I’ve been on today all need to be replaced, which is kind of to be expected."

The hail even punctured through Herbrich’s screen protector on her window.

But while she surveys the house, she counts her blessings more than her damage.

"We haven’t found any broken windows, so small blessings for the most part," said Herbrich.

Bernard added that anyone who saw hail more than an inch in size and has a roof that’s at least a few years old should call a local roofer for a free inspection.

It’s better to report the damage to insurance now than to wait.