PORTLAND, Texas — Residents say a violent hailstorm came out of nowhere Saturday, pelting Portland and Taft with golf ball-sized hail — or even larger — and leaving behind shattered windows, dented cars, and widespread home damage.
“Our whole back window was shattered,” said Brittany Perez. “The 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 — I’m assuming they died after getting hit by hail.”
Perez, her two children, and her fiancé 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’t help. Perez said she’s lived in Texas her whole life and has never seen anything like it.
At the Glades of Gregory apartment complex in Portland, resident Loren Salas captured photos showing massive hailstones the size of golf balls.
One bride and groom, who had waited 16 years to marry, were forced to move their celebration indoors to cut the cake.
Insurance agents say they’re already seeing a flood of claims. State Farm agent Matt Sablatura filmed hail shattering the windows of his own home on Country Club Lane.
“Hail and water and glass everywhere,” Sablatura said. “Everything in the backyard is destroyed, roof totaled.”
Sablatura said 70 to 80 percent of claims should be filed by Tuesday, with more trickling in as homeowners discover new damage.
“Videos and photos are vital,” he added. “If they hire someone to clean up, all that documentation helps in the claims process.”
Cleanup crews are working nonstop across Portland, where damage stretches for blocks.
“Some of them have double-pane windows and most of them blew out — glass everywhere,” said Hector Garza with ServiceMaster. “We’re here to clean it all up.”
Residents say they’re grateful no one was seriously hurt — but cleanup could take weeks.
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