What to do after a hail storm, and a tip on how to prepare for one

SAN ANTONIO — Thousands of San Antonians are still recovering from Saturday morning’s hail storm that left houses and vehicles battered. And with another severe weather threat looming for Wednesday evening, many residents are thinking about how to save themselves from the frustrations. 

Thankfully, there are some innovative ideas you may not have thought of before to save your property from being peppered with dents. 

KENS 5 News Director Jack Acosta loves his pickup truck, and also does much of the work broadcasting storms from the weather truck for us. So he needed some portable protection. 

It turns out $20 worth of materials is all he needs that might do the trick. Specifically: a layer of moving blankets and a waterproof tarp. 

The blankets are used to protect the truck’s windows, and tarps for keeping water out if the blankets fail. And, a bungee cord to hold everything in place. 

It isn’t a perfect solution, but you can stash the DIY protection in a truck and it’s better than nothing. (And, of course, this isn’t the only way Texans protect their cars from hail.)

With regard to processing damage claims from the whacking Bexar County took on Saturday, USAA officials say a catastrophe response center has been set up in the parking lot of Lowe’s at The Rim. They company has been running the drive-through service since the storm, saying they are additionally doing a lot of their work processing claims online. 

“We have a little over 5,000 claims that came from this event just this past Saturday, and so we are taking care of those members as we speak—inspecting homes the next day, looking at vehicles, getting those estimates written and getting them taken care of as soon as possible, because that’s key,” said USAA’s Elizabeth Gulick. “Helping our members get back on the road to recovery and get their lives back in order.”

USAA recommends that you take pictures of damage you may have, no matter who your insurance provider is. Also, make temporary fixes if you can, and save the receipts. Don’t fall victim to storm-chasing, fly-by-night contractors who may swoop in. USAA says that if something seems too good to be true or if someone demands money up front, walk away.