Residents of Marble Falls are dealing with the aftermath of a vicious hail storm that tore through the town early Wednesday, leaving behind a trail of broken windows, battered cars, and snapped tree limbs. Citizens woke to a scene of destruction characterized by hailstones ranging from the size of golf balls to tennis balls, according to KXAN. In the wake of the tempest, Ronald Martin, a resident, described the ferocity of the hail saying, "They say a tornado sounds like a freight train, it sounded like a freight train," in an interview with KXAN.
Marble Falls Police reported the storm-battered nearly 90% of the town, inflicting its heaviest toll near the town's center, one person suffered minor injuries caught in the maelstrom while Martin's own Harley Davidson miraculously escaped unscathed, though he noted that his neighbors were not as fortunate, with vehicles in his apartment complex sustaining serious damage. Donna Roberts, another resident, conveyed to KXAN her feelings of fear as her truck was left with a crater-sized crack in the windshield and dents covering its body, "It was almost kind of scary," she said, detailing the extent of the storm's fury.
The severe weather did not discriminate, as photos and videos submitted by viewers to FOX 7 Austin showcased the swath of hailstones that fell across Central Texas on Tuesday. Indeed, from North Austin to Manor, all the way to San Saba County, locals documented the icy onslaught; one North Austin resident, Chris Moehring, even compared the hail to a golf ball providing a visual sense for the size of the ice that nature had hurled upon the land.
As the community begins to assess and repair the hail-induced havoc, no ongoing issues have been reported following the storm, however, the images of hail chunks covering outdoor furniture and blanketing the ground, like the one from Chase Von Ach in North Austin who shared with FOX 7 Austin, continue to circulate, offering a stark reminder of the storm's intensity. Marble Falls, along with neighboring areas affected by the torrential hail, now face the arduous task of cleaning up and moving forward from what nature, in its rawest moment, unleashed upon them this week.
