Weekend hailstorm leaves Rio Grande City homes with severe damage
A powerful hailstorm tore through Rio Grande City over the weekend, leaving homes with shattered windows, damaged roofs and thousands of dollars in repairs.
Claudio Garcia moved to Rio Grande City a year ago. Parts of his new home are now severely damaged.
Garcia and his wife were home with their two daughters when the storm hit late Saturday night.
"Everything is devastating.... there was glass everywhere inside. It's really, really devastating inside, it's sad," Garcia said.
Garcia says this weekend was the first time he's ever experienced a hailstorm.
The storm also caused major damage to the family's roof. Damage Garcia says could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair.
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Police have been responding to calls and checking on families to make sure everyone is safe.
"Right now, it's more assessing the damages. Of course, just like every other citizen in our city and in our county, we need to report our damages," Rio Grande City Police Chief Jose E. Solis Jr. said.
In just two days, police say they received more than 100 calls for service related to the storm.
"Proud of our officers, proud of our staff, the way they handled the situation. And you know, you had public works out here with every piece of machinery at 2:30 in the morning working all night," Solis said.
For Garcia, the storm damage is overwhelming, but he says the community is doing what it can to support each other.
The National Weather Service and Rio Grande City officials are evaluating the damage, and are asking anyone with damage to take photos and report it on the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool survey.
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