PORTLAND, Texas \u2014 Residents say a violent hailstorm came out of nowhere Saturday, pelting Portland and Taft with golf ball-sized hail \u2014 or even larger \u2014 and leaving behind shattered windows, dented cars, and widespread home damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur whole back window was shattered,\u201d said Brittany Perez. \u201cThe side of our car was very damaged, we lost lights, our front window was messed up. The crazy part was seeing all the dead birds \u2014 I\u2019m assuming they died after getting hit by hail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perez, her two children, and her fianc\u00e9 were inside their car, waiting out a rain delay at a youth football game in Taft when the weather turned. They took cover inside a car wash bay, but it didn\u2019t help. Perez said she\u2019s lived in Texas her whole life and has never seen anything like it.<\/p>\n
Golf ball-sized hailstorm slams Portland and Taft, leaving trail of damage<\/p>\n
At the Glades of Gregory apartment complex in Portland, resident Loren Salas captured photos showing massive hailstones the size of golf balls.<\/p>\n
One bride and groom, who had waited 16 years to marry, were forced to move their celebration indoors to cut the cake.<\/p>\n
Insurance agents say they\u2019re already seeing a flood of claims. State Farm agent Matt Sablatura filmed hail shattering the windows of his own home on Country Club Lane.<\/p>\n
\u201cHail and water and glass everywhere,\u201d Sablatura said. \u201cEverything in the backyard is destroyed, roof totaled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sablatura said 70 to 80 percent of claims should be filed by Tuesday, with more trickling in as homeowners discover new damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cVideos and photos are vital,\u201d he added. \u201cIf they hire someone to clean up, all that documentation helps in the claims process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleanup crews are working nonstop across Portland, where damage stretches for blocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them have double-pane windows and most of them blew out \u2014 glass everywhere,\u201d said Hector Garza with ServiceMaster. \u201cWe\u2019re here to clean it all up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents say they\u2019re grateful no one was seriously hurt \u2014 but cleanup could take weeks.<\/p>\n
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