COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Strong winds that tore through Colorado Springs early Sunday morning are long gone, but the damage it left behind can still be found throughout the city.
As people work to clean up and rebuild, some companies are having a hard time keeping up.
"You hate to say that it's good for business, but it's been kind of a long, slow winter, so you know that was kind of a good shot in the arm to get going here," Greg Eno, owner of HortiCare Tree & Shrub Services, said.
Businesses like Eno's saw a boost after Sunday's storm.
"I got my first call yesterday morning," Eno said. "We were hustling all day yesterday and through today just trying to catch up with the clean up."
City officials estimated about 30 trees were knocked over by the fierce winds, some even being completely uprooted.
"To go out and see the whole tree uprooted, not only laying on its side, but the whole root system of the tree uprooted, that's pretty unusual and unnerving because those trees have an awful lot of weight on them and can potentially do a lot of damage," Eno said.
Companies like Eno's weren't the only ones who saw a boost in business because of the storm.
"As soon as a weather-related incident happens our phones will definitely ramp up," Cally O'Donnell, Allstate agency owner, said. "I mean, our phones ring a lot anyway, but today there's been high volume."
Insurance agents said Monday they received dozens of calls for wind damage.
"Right now we're seeing a lot of shingles that are blown off of roofs, trees, tree limbs, so trees that have been blown over or tree limbs that have been blown off," O'Donnell said.
She said every company and every policy is different for how most wind damage is covered.
"So any damages that are incurred to your covered property are going to be covered with Allstate," O'Donnell said. "So trees that are blown off or limbs that are blown and do damage to your structure, that would be a covered loss because it would be the wind that caused it."
O'Donnell suggested keeping tree limbs trimmed and at least 10 feet away from homes.
"What that does is if the wind does break a limb you've got a clearance area that kind of helps it to keep it from damaging the dwelling," she said.
O'Donnell said it's important to get in touch with an insurance agent right away and document everything.
"If you need immediate repairs most insurance companies are gonna be okay reimbursing you, but it's important that you can document the loss," O'Donnell said. "Take pictures first, before you do anything, to try to show the shingles on the ground and take pictures of the roof, then if you do buy any building materials or do any repairs on your own to keep your receipts.".
O'Donnell also warned about potential scams that tend to pop up after major storms.
"Anytime that there is any kind of a major storm that hits the news, where the news channels are broadcasting the severity of the storm, we tend to see a higher incidence of maybe less-than-professional vendors or providers, roofing companies or companies that go out and they mitigate for tree removal," O'Donnell said.
"I would caution anyone to just make sure that whoever they're working with, they do a little background check on them, you know, contact the Better Business Bureau."
She said to be especially cautious of the ones that go door to door.
"You'll see a lot of what we call migrant vendors," she said. "They literally are storm chasers, and they'll go from state to state following storms, and typically you're gonna see them go door to door and put fliers on your door."
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKXRM