Businesses that do residential, commercial and automotive glass replacement in Long Island become extremely busy after a severe hailstorm. The worst one in recent history occurred in August 2011, when to hail the size of golf balls, tennis balls, and baseballs broke windows from the New York City area out to Nassau County. Some people reported bringing those huge chunks of hail inside and storing them in the freezer. That way, if anyone thought the description of the hail was just a fish story, these people would have solid evidence. Others took pictures, setting tennis balls or other objects next to the hail to show the difference in size.
Companies like Active Glass got busy helping homeowners, owners of commercial property and vehicle owners start getting their windows replaced. The only type of glass that has the potential to hold up against this kind of storm is impact-resistant glass, such as laminated glass on windshields. Even windshields develop spiderweb cracks under this level of hail activity, however. Back windows of cars were entirely shattered, and so were many windows of houses, office buildings and other structures. Some looked like a person had thrown a rock through the window, leaving much of the glass intact but with a big hole and cracks in it.
Property owners who needed extensive glass replacement in Long Island may have filed a claim with an insurance company. Comprehensive automotive insurance covers this type of damage, for example. Vehicle owners also had to deal auto body damage, which can be extreme because of hail. Many homeowners had additional damage to list on an insurance claim, such as dents in aluminum siding, punctures in vinyl siding and roof damage.
A glass replacement company can send workers out to help people put plastic up or nail boards around broken windows, but most homeowners did that on their own. Vehicles with broken windows could be tarped. Owners of commercial property had more to contend with. These storms can be particularly scary when people are out on the road in their cars or sitting by a window that suddenly shatters because of hail impact.
