Published on May 22, 2015

Hailstorm still being felt a year later

Hailstorm still being felt a year later

Repairs are still underway exactly one year after a devastating hailstorm ripped through the region. One of the hardest hit areas was Berks County, and many businesses said they’re still dealing with problems caused by the storm.

Thousands of vehicles and countless homes were damaged. Twelve months have not provided workers the opportunity to slow down, and the storm’s impact is still being felt. Insurance claims increasing as storm anniversary approaches Fightin Phils pitcher puts hailstorm, concussion behind him Auto, roof repairs continue months after massive hailstorm Police: Hailstorm victims targeted in latest phone scam Impact of hailstorm still being felt around Berks County OSHA issues safety warning to Berks contractors

“We’re still seeing it every day. People are still returning cars to get repaired,” said John Monroe, general sales manager at Bob Fisher Chevrolet in Muhlenberg Township. “We scheduled out almost a year ago.”

The body shop at Bob Fisher Chevrolet has seen a steady flow of customers ever since the initial onslaught of business.

“We’re talking about cars that were just, every panel damaged extensively,” Monroe said. Windows in homes were blown out and shattered, and roofs were ripped apart.

“We’ve done hundreds and hundreds of roofs and siding jobs in the last year,” said Carl Rost, general manager of Bachman’s Roofing. “Our work load is still very large with carry over.”

On Friday, Bachman’s Roofing was out on a job in Exeter Township. Rost said he doesn’t see business slowing down until maybe winter. In fact, the phones have been ringing off the hook for the past six to eight weeks.

“Customers have been calling wondering should they get their insurance company out with the one year anniversary being today,” Rost said. “This was, by far, the worst storm we were ever involved in.”

Bachman’s encouraged people with damage to get in touch with their insurance company. The time limit to file a claim is not always set in stone, which is a common misconception.

“Call your insurance carrier to find out what the time limit is. If it’s one of the major carriers, you should have more than one year,” said Tim Harley, an estimator for Bachman’s.

Read more from WFMZ.com at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/Local/Hailstorm-s-impact-still-being-felt-year-later/33175896