Six months after an April hailstorm battered the Ozarks, repair businesses in Greene County are still grappling with a massive backlog of damaged vehicles and homes. The storm, which officials estimate caused roughly $315 million in damage, generated more than 4,600 vehicle reports and over 2,400 home damage reports.

Collision centers overwhelmed

Kevin Thuro, CFO of Kirk’s Collision Center in Springfield, recalled the immediate surge of calls after the storm. “We were excited to get a whole fleet of cars in here for hail damage because it was business we needed,” he said. Within an hour, nearly 100 cars were lined up at the shop.

Now the shop is booked through June 2027 for hail‑related repairs alone, with collision work extending into March and April 2027. Thuro noted that hail damage often involves extensive panel replacement, not just paintless dent repair, making each job more labor‑intensive.

Roofing firms working around the clock

Absolute Roofing’s estimator, Colt Pruente, described a flood of calls in the weeks following the storm. “The volume we got in a short couple of weeks was overwhelming,” he said. Crews are now working seven days a week, completing 50 or more homes each week.

While drier‑than‑normal weather has helped speed progress, supply‑chain constraints continue to pose challenges. Pruente estimates the backlog puts the industry about half a year behind normal storm recovery timelines.

Advice for affected residents

Both Kirk’s Collision Center and Absolute Roofing recommend that vehicle and home owners stay in close contact with their insurance providers. Prompt communication can help streamline the scheduling of repairs once slots become available.

The Springfield‑Greene County Office of Emergency Management continues to track the ongoing impact, noting that the reported figures likely underestimate the true scale of damage because not all incidents have been filed.

Original reporting: KY3 Springfield (local) — read the source article.