More than 2,200 Auto Claims Filed after Southern N.M. Storm

More than 2,200 automobile claims and 950 homeowner claims have been filed through insurance companies as a result of last week’s hailstorm in southern New Mexico, a trade association said.

The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association based its numbers on a survey of people who have vehicle and homeowner policies, said Carole Walker, executive director.

Walker said the insurance industry likely will pay out $10.3 million in claims.

Pea to golf ball-sized hail fell in southern New Mexico on Sept. 13, denting vehicles and cracking and breaking windows and skylights.

“Las Cruces doesn’t historically experience this kind of damaging hailstorm, so it’s easy to forget the kind of damage those little white stones can do in just a matter of minutes,” she said.

The association had some tips for people who haven’t filed claims: Take photos of the damaged areas, prepare an inventory of any damaged or destroyed property, make temporary repairs and get an estimate from a reliable contractor on home repairs.

Orders for roof repairs are stacking up across the city, with some contractors estimating up to a three-month wait. Many motorists also are now faced with lengthy waits for insurance adjustors and repair shops to effect repairs.

At New Mexico State University, reports of damaged student vehicles are being filed, and university officials are still cataloging the damage to facilities and grounds.

“We did have some fairly intense hail,” said Rich MacRorie, director of facility operations. “Considering what happened in the surrounding areas, we got off fairly light. We had a couple of greenhouses that had a substantial amount of the glass broken.”