The Biggest Hailstones Aren't in Texas

[Clay Kesting]

I wanted to let my friends here know what has been happening "downunder". You may have seen news reports of the violent hailstorm which hit Sydney on Wednesday night, well we were in the centre of it. The hailstones were as big as tennis balls and went through the terracotta tiles on the roof like my Spydie Viele through a bagel (obligatory knife content

) as well as smashing most of the windows across the front of the house. It seemed to last for about 5 mins. but, in reality, was probably less. The kids were terrified and my wife and I were more than a little scared. When the hail stopped we had torrential rain which continued with several more thunder storms through the night.

In the cold light of dawn we were devastated by what we saw, our house is a complete shambles. As well as needing a new roof, there is so much water damage that all the ceilings and carpets will have to be replaced and all the walls repainted. We still don't have electric light but at least there is power for the computer, so I haven't suffered Bladeforum withdrawals

.

Looking on the bright side, no one was hurt and our books, photos etc. are all OK. There are tarpaulins over the roof and the windows were fixed today so the house is secure. It will be a long time before we can get the house restored as the damage is so widespread that the resources of the building industry will be stretched to the limit meeting the demand.

This sort of thing can really spoil your day

.

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Take care,
Clay

"A witty saying proves nothing." Voltaire

 

[Bob Irons]

Sorry about the mess downunder.

I've seen golf ball ones here in the states, but never tennis ball ones! Glad you and your family weren't hurt.

I hope you have insurance to help with the recovery cost. Maybe something good will happen today to perk you up!

 

[Cobalt]

There was a storm in Dencer, that I saw on TV dropping baseball ball size hail on cars and houses. I would not want to be in the middle of that. Hope no one was hurt, which is really all that matters in situations like that.

 

[DonL]

Clay, glad everyone is okay and there is still some semblance of a roof. Of course, having power for the computer must help. Having been in a car with a friend with the golf-ball sized hail (that actually resulted in the car being "totalled"), I still can't imagine how much more frightening your storm must have been. Good luck with dealing with insurance companies and the repair process, and Geez-O-Pete, keep them knives dry!

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier thant he sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.

 

[Brian Lavin]

Glad your family made it thru safely, good luck with your rebuilding.

 

[bald1]

Clay,

I am genuinely sorry to hear what you and Kerrie have gone through. I can easily empathize as the area of South dakota where I reside is known for routine hail storms to the point where they are not considered acts of god for insurance purposes... best have a seperate rider. Car dealerships have hail damaged car sales every year here. Biggest I've seen has been tennis ball size and those are scary as heck.

Hope you don't get any run arounds or inadequate settlements in your quest to repair your home.

All the best mate!

-=[Bob]=-

 

[Hal]

True story:

Well, the hailstones weren't the biggest in the world, but there were a lot of them and they did hurt. The time was August 1969, and a thunderstorm was approaching. I was trying to get home ahead of the storm, but didn't make it. A steady rain of hail started to fall and caught me out in the open, so to speak. I was 17 years old at the time, and any traffic violation meant my drivers licence would automaticaly be suspended for any infraction. A cop was following behind me as I was driving in the hail, and I was in a real quandry. Should I break the traffic laws or find a solution for the hail problem? The solution left the cops in the car behind laughing so hard they didn't have the heart to ticket me I guess. I took my motorcyle helmut off my head, and covered up my crotch.GAWD thise things stung.

 

[Clay Kesting]

Thank you all for your kind words. I new I would find sympathetic ears here, it is part of the sense of community which is one of the attractions of this place. Things are starting to get back to normal, the lights came back on yesterday and I might even go back to work tomorrow

. We will have to move out for a while when the ceilings come down, don't know what I'll do about a computer then

.

Bob, so far the insurance company couldn't have been more helplful. They have contacted glaziers and builders for us and the assessor approved full replacement rather than repair of all the damage. That sort of response takes a great weight off your mind in these circumstances. BTW the total damage bill from this storm is estimated to be AUS$5,500,00.

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Take care,
Clay

"A witty saying proves nothing." Voltaire