HELOTES, Texas – A barrage of large hail damaged businesses and residential property in Helotes on Tuesday night.
The damage forced a Walmart and an H-E-B to closed Wednesday morning. The manager of the Walmart on Leslie Road said all of the store's skylights were pierced by hail. The store was expected to reopen at some point Wednesday. Shattered glass littered the H-E-B inside. Cars with shattered windows sat in the parking lot, waiting for the owners to collect them.
"Just driving in, I was like, 'Wow! I'm gonna drive around and see what's going on,'" Boubel said. "It's crazy."
Property damage also affected residents. Nathan Cheslock's pride and joy, a 2010 Shelby GT 500, suffered dents and cracks.
Cheslock said after hearing the sound of the pounding hail, he knew it wasn't going to be good when he walked out into his driveway Wednesday morning.
"(I) just cried a little bit on the inside," Cheslock said. "Everyone that knows me knows this is my baby. So it's, it's the way it goes, I guess. The kids' Power Wheels are OK in the garage, but otherwise, no."
Northside Independent School District officials said that around 75 school buses were damaged at the Rhodes Transportation Center.
The majority of the damage was to large rear-view mirrors and glass windows on the doors. Buses that could not safely transport children will be out of service until damages are repaired district spokesman Pascual Gonzalez said.
A damage estimate wasn't immediately available.
Watch video of Walmart hail damage courtesy: Anthony Perez