AUTO HAIL REPAIR NEWS

Owners of companies that repair roofs and fences already were hearing Tuesday from customers who went through Monday’s bout of severe weather.

"We've gotten a lot of calls already this morning," said Tina Anderson, who owns a roof repair shop in Lewisville with her husband Marc Anderson.

Although most of Dallas County avoided the fast-moving storms, some nearby counties were not so lucky.

Meteorologist Steve Fano of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Monday's storms hit Denton, Ellis and Johnson counties the hardest. The small towns of Godley and Keene in Johnson County may have suffered tornado damage and Denton County received an inch and a half of hail, he said.

Mr. Fano said North Texas residents should expect more rain and thunderstorms Wednesday with hail-producing storms and damaging wind gusts on Thursday.

Mrs. Anderson, a 45-year-old resident of Highland Village, said customers called in to report damaged gutters and skylights from Monday’s storms. Some customers were concerned about their roofs because they had shingles in their grass, but Mrs. Anderson said sometimes those can be from their neighbor's home.

"We got major hail out here," Mrs. Anderson said. "We got baseball-sized hail. We have to check our own roof."

Mrs. Anderson said many people want to check their roofs for damages, but she advised them to stay off until they are dry – probably by noon Tuesday.

"It's hard to tell what kind of damage has been done when it's wet," she said.

Grant Embree, who owns a landscape repair business in Flower Mound, said the price of lumber for fixing fences has doubled in the last six to eight months and the increase is reflected in the costs of repair.

"The price of wood is so astronomically high, you can't raise the prices enough” to compensate, Mr. Embree said. "Being in this business is hard because there's companies that will come in and undercut you."

Chris Dandridge said several customers already had dropped off their hail-damaged cars at Goodyear Gemini Auto Service in Highland Village. Mr. Dandridge said he was surprised by the hail, but the damage he has seen so far is not as severe as he expected.

Monday’s rains also flattened tires, as well as spirits, for drivers on the Dallas North Tollway, thanks to washed out pavement on northbound lanes between Cedar Springs Road and Lemmon Avenue.

The North Texas Tollway Authority said at least 15 drivers have filed claims with the agency after sustaining flat tires Monday evening.

Bills for towing and repairs will be paid, NTTA spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt said.

A contractor for the agency had diverted traffic onto new lanes beginning at about 5 a.m. Monday, said Ms. Coffelt. But by Monday afternoon, the paving materials used to smooth the transition from the old lanes to the news ones had been washed away, she said Tuesday.

The contractor, Austin Bridge and Road, was made aware of the problem when one of its own vehicles sustained a flat tire Monday evening, she said. Once alerted, NTTA crews responded and repairs the road at about 9 p.m.

The flat tires occurred between about 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to statements filed with the claims received so far, Ms. Coffelt said.

NTTA’s insurance coordinator is handling the claims, which will be paid by the contractor, Ms. Coffelt said. Drivers who sustained damage may call NTTA at 214-461-2000 and ask for the insurance coordinator, she said.