BILLINGS — As Billings residents continue to clean up from Monday night's severe storms, local glass shops are busy with repairs.
Those storms brought high winds and hail to much of the area, damaging the Billings Heights and southern parts of the city.
Watch this video to see a business in action:
That includes Meadowlark Trailer Park in south Billings, which is where Andy McLellan helplessly watched his property and belongings get crushed by golf ball-sized hail.
"It sounds like somebody was beating my trailer with a bunch of baseball bats," McLellan said on Wednesday afternoon. "There's nothing we could do except just sit back and let it happen. I was just sick to my stomach."
When all was said and done, McLellan had damage to both his and his wife's vehicles, as well damage to the roof of his trailer and a shattered window on the trailer.
"You can see it all across my windshield," McLellan said, as he showed his beat-up car. "Lost my headlight, both of my taillights and the hail actually went through my window."
McLellan said he's waiting to hear back from insurance, but that the early indication was that both vehicles were totaled. The damages to his trailer present a different challenge, as his home is not insured.
"What's this going to cost me?" McLellan said. "What's the bill going to cost? You know, a lot of us out here don't have homeowner's insurance."
The McLellans managed to get one of the windshields replaced on Tuesday at an auto shop in the Billings Heights.
Critelli Glass General Manager Adrian VanLaarhoven said his shop in downtown has been very busy.
"The phones are usually the first thing to ring off the hook," VanLaarhoven said Wednesday morning. "We try to get as many of them scheduled as possible."
VanLaarhoven said he understands how devastating this time can be for residents with damage.
"It's just a difficult situation for the customers out in the area that have got broken windows," VanLaarhoven said.
VanLaarhoven said that while delays can be common, his crews are committed to speed up the process for those impacted by the storm.
"There's usually a bit of a delay because I'm already booked with previous jobs," VanLaarhoven said. "I like to keep it busy and high-paced, so it's a coordination between the office and the employees in the shop to make sure we don't overload."
It's a juggling act residents like McLellan appreciate, as people across Billings continue to pick up the pieces.
"I'm very grateful for the service we had," McLellan said. "It means a lot."
