ROCK HILL, S.C. — Homeowners are coordinating with insurance companies and contractors after an intense thunderstorm produced extensive storm damage in Rock Hill on Saturday.
Among those who examined the storm damage are experts from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), which is headquartered in neighboring Chester County, South Carolina. IBHS studies hail and produces research intended to improve construction materials.
Saturday's storm produced baseball-sized hail and 90-mph winds, the National Weather Service concluded Monday.
"In terms of hail, when you couple the wind-driven side of things, it gets kind of messy," Jake Sorber, an IBHS research scientist, explained Tuesday. "You can get small hailstones, inch or inch-and-half, causing damage that may look like two-inch damage because of the velocity it was driven by impacting those homes.”
Holes were punched into the side of homes and into fences as a result of the storm.
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While thunderstorms this intense are rare in the Carolinas, IBHS does have tips to help every homeowner prepare ahead of future storms.
Preparing your roof ahead of a hail storm
- Be informed about your roof type
- Know the age of your roof
- Have your roof inspected for pre-existing damage
- Check your insurance coverage and know if your roof is "impact rate"
The Better Business Bureau is warning about so-called “storm chasers.” The BBB said after a storm, people may try to take advantage of homeowners looking for help.
These storm chasers appear to be normal contractors who offer repairs but the Better Business Bureau said you should be careful about who you trust.
"You should make sure they have the licensing requirements for the state that you live in, and that you are getting all the information you need from them," Juliana O’Rork, with the BBB, said.
O’Rork said most of the time, these storm chasers will use sales tactics that just sound too good to be true.
“They might offer that the work will be done really quickly,” she said. “Those are going to be some of the red flags you want to make sure you look out for.”
O’Rork said before hiring anyone for a job, make sure the business is accredited.
York County has also setup a hotline for anyone needing assistance with storm cleanup. Residents can call 803-250-3673.