TULSA CAT LOSS # 5
Hail damage: In south Tulsa, hundreds of new and used vehicles at car dealerships were damaged by large hail.
"Everything I had on the lot was hit," said Mike Winkle, sales manager with Joe Marina Saturn, 7830 E. 91st St., which had about 150 vehicles on the lot.
"It was hammered pretty hard," Winkle said, adding that the dealership's staff was awaiting a visit from insurance adjusters so the amount of damage could be estimated.
Brandon Murphy, general manager of Nelson Mazda, 9900 S. Memorial Drive, said he had about twice as many vehicles on his lot.
"I'm sure it hit everyone in the area pretty hard," Murphy said.
Roofing companies scrambled Tuesday to start damage assessments on area homes. Bob Walker, owner of Superior Roofing, said the number of people calling his company has at least tripled.
"I've been inundated with phone calls," he said. "We started at 3:30 this morning."
Walker called the hailstorm a "perfect 10" in terms of severity. Though assessments continue, he said State Farm Insurance estimated at least 8,000 roofs in the area have been destroyed, and that's just State Farm policyholders.
He said the area between 101st and 111th streets, Memorial Drive and Harvard Avenue was especially hard-hit.
Frank Nichol, manager of Metro Roofing Company in Tulsa, said all five roofs on homes or apartment buildings near the Bixby area that he inspected were destroyed.
His call volume has also tripled, and he expects it to stay high for quite some time.
"About 90 percent of the people won't call us until they call their insurance company," he said.
State Farm had been working all day Tuesday to assess the storm's impact, said John Wiscaver, a State Farm of Oklahoma spokesman.
By noon Tuesday, State Farm had more than 500 home claims in the metro area, said Wiscaver, who anticipates significantly more claims based on those early reports.
It sometimes takes a few days for people to figure out how much damage the storm may have caused. But the quicker they can report their loss, the better, Wiscaver said.
At the Glass Doctor, a Broken Arrow-based glass repair business serving homes, businesses and vehicles, calls from hailstorm victims started coming in the early morning hours.
"It's been too hectic to even tell you how many calls we've had," manager Denise Collins said.
World staff writers Jeff Billington, Robert Evatt and Laurie Winslow contributed to this story.
Tim Stanley 581-8385
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Jeff Postelwait 581-8387
jeff.postelwait@tulsaworld.com
"Everything I had on the lot was hit," said Mike Winkle, sales manager with Joe Marina Saturn, 7830 E. 91st St., which had about 150 vehicles on the lot.
"It was hammered pretty hard," Winkle said, adding that the dealership's staff was awaiting a visit from insurance adjusters so the amount of damage could be estimated.
Brandon Murphy, general manager of Nelson Mazda, 9900 S. Memorial Drive, said he had about twice as many vehicles on his lot.
"I'm sure it hit everyone in the area pretty hard," Murphy said.
Roofing companies scrambled Tuesday to start damage assessments on area homes. Bob Walker, owner of Superior Roofing, said the number of people calling his company has at least tripled.
"I've been inundated with phone calls," he said. "We started at 3:30 this morning."
Walker called the hailstorm a "perfect 10" in terms of severity. Though assessments continue, he said State Farm Insurance estimated at least 8,000 roofs in the area have been destroyed, and that's just State Farm policyholders.
He said the area between 101st and 111th streets, Memorial Drive and Harvard Avenue was especially hard-hit.
Frank Nichol, manager of Metro Roofing Company in Tulsa, said all five roofs on homes or apartment buildings near the Bixby area that he inspected were destroyed.
His call volume has also tripled, and he expects it to stay high for quite some time.
"About 90 percent of the people won't call us until they call their insurance company," he said.
State Farm had been working all day Tuesday to assess the storm's impact, said John Wiscaver, a State Farm of Oklahoma spokesman.
By noon Tuesday, State Farm had more than 500 home claims in the metro area, said Wiscaver, who anticipates significantly more claims based on those early reports.
It sometimes takes a few days for people to figure out how much damage the storm may have caused. But the quicker they can report their loss, the better, Wiscaver said.
At the Glass Doctor, a Broken Arrow-based glass repair business serving homes, businesses and vehicles, calls from hailstorm victims started coming in the early morning hours.
"It's been too hectic to even tell you how many calls we've had," manager Denise Collins said.
World staff writers Jeff Billington, Robert Evatt and Laurie Winslow contributed to this story.
Tim Stanley 581-8385
tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Jeff Postelwait 581-8387
jeff.postelwait@tulsaworld.com
