City says beware of out-of-town contractors

A hailstorm that blew through Bourbon County Sunday evening left a good deal of damage in its wake, and city officials are urging local residents affected by the storm to be careful, as many contractors, both local and outside the area, began scrambling for business.

Fort Scott Codes Manager Brent Crays said late Monday morning he had received several calls since early that morning from citizens and mostly contractors calling about damage from the severe wind and hail storm that struck the area early Sunday evening.

Crays said many people have begun turning in insurance claims and investigators have started checking properties. He encourages residents whose homes were damaged to check the references of any contracting company that offers repair services before starting any repair work.

"A majority of companies are on the level and valid and will be OK," he said, but some may not be legitimate and "may possibly take advantage of citizens here."

Crays said residents can call City Hall to see if the company is "in good standing with the city" or Crays' office to find out if the company has any information regarding licensing in a different town.

"They can also call that town and find out if they're in good standing with that city or town as well," Crays said.

Crays said he is confident insurance will cover a majority of the damages across Fort Scott.

"Contractors can do a temporary fix to get them by through the next storm that may be coming in," he said. "Before beginning work associated with insurance, contact my office or City Hall because they may need building permits and we also want to make sure contractors are legitimate contractors. We strongly suggest people watch who contractors are."

Residents should ensure that contractors have contacted the city to obtain the proper license they need in order to make repairs. Some contractors will go door-to-door and they are required to have a solicitor's license from the city of Fort Scott. Residents can ask to see this license, as the contractors are supposed to carry it with them. All contractors have to contact the city before any work is started and they will have documentation on them reflecting they have done this, a news release from the city said.

Anyone with questions may contact City Clerk Diane Clay at (620) 223-0550, or Crays at 223-8118.

Crays said several insurance companies will have mobile stations set up where customers with automobile damage can have that damage assessed.

"They can take the car to the location," he said. "It's a temporary set-up on a commercial lot where insured customers can drive by, with an appointment, to a canopy and talk to an adjuster."

City Manager Dave Martin said he assessed the area Monday and discovered "quite a bit of damage to personal homes and businesses." He said city officials are in the process of cleaning up following the storm and assisting residents with concerns.

"We're doing the best we can to assist in numerous ways, answering questions right now and trying to get everyone calmed down," he said.

Martin also said the main issue currently is the large number of contractors coming to town wanting to make repairs to houses and properties. Any contractor should have proper permits and licenses before they begin any work, he said.

"It's unfortunate we had a storm like that," he said. "The city had some damage to buildings and windows, not too severe, and we're working with our insurance agent to have it taken care of."

One way the city is helping out is by opening the city's brush dump for extended hours all week so people can bring any debris from the storm to the dump free of charge, Martin said.

The dump will be open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday this week. The dump will also be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. It will resume normal hours after this week, which are 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

The city will accept only tree debris. Garbage and trash is not accepted at anytime.

Martin said Public Works Director Eric Bailey and his crews have been working long hours since the storm hit, canvassing the city for damages and problems.

"We're working around the clock to get streetlights working and all the main emergency issues taken care of," he said.

As far as citywide damages, several broken windows and damaged siding have been reported in homes. Hail caused damage to city vehicles and buildings as well. Crays said it was reported that more than 60 windows in Memorial Hall had been broken out. He said Bailey reported multiple city vehicles sustained busted or cracked windows or hail damage to the paint job or body of the car.

"I'd say 60 to 65 percent of houses in town have damage of some kind," Crays said. "There was quite a bit (of damage) on the east side, but it's mostly on the west side of town."

Fort Scott Interim Police Chief Travis Shelton said hail knocked 15 windows out of one police officer's home. Shelton said he, too, has seen much damage to siding, windows and roofs across town. He said there were very few minor traffic accidents reported during the storm. Several calls came into dispatch Sunday evening reporting the hail, to which officers responded by informing the resident to call their insurance company.

Among the damaged buildings he viewed were the Bourbon County Courthouse, MedicaLodges, and Fort Scott High School, each of which sustained broken windows. Damage to police squad cars parked at the Hawkins Public Safety Building included broken windshields and mirrors on three units, and some had taillights knocked out.

Shelton said Monday the FSPD had not received any calls related to phony contractors, but he did say solicitors are required to be licensed.

"There was just extensive hail damage throughout town," he said.

As far as the financial impact of the storm, Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said it will be a "costly storm."

"With the amount and size of the hail, and with the wind," he said. "There was a lot of home, business and vehicle damage."

Ballou said Monday one report from the hailstorm involved hail blowing through a roof of a structure. He said without knowing the exact path of the storm, most of the big hail blew through Bourbon County. He also said there was "some heavier tree damage."

"My family personally was terrified," Ballou said. "It was the most severe storm that you can see without having something like a tornado with it."

In the days following the storm, there will be "a lot of cleanup and home and vehicle repair," Ballou said.

He also suggested that residents with damage to homes or vehicles to meet with their insurance representative "as soon as possible" and follow their advice.

Ballou said officials are also being cautious about more severe weather that is predicted to move through the area Tuesday evening. He suggested residents watch local weather reports on TV, or listen to them on a radio or police scanner, "anything to prepare and get ready."

"We've been watching Tuesday night's updates since last week," he said. "A series of low pressures is coming together and a cold front is moving in. Tomorrow (Tuesday) may start out fairly nice, but in the afternoon when the cold front moves through, that's when (bad) weather is expected."

Ballou said Tuesday evening conditions could be "the right set-up for severe thunderstorms."

Bourbon County Emergency Manager Terri Coop said Monday that anyone who reports storm damage, whether insured or uninsured, to contact her at em@bourboncountyks.org, or send a written notice to the Bourbon County Clerk's office consisting of an address, phone number and brief description of the damage.