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Marseilles Cleaning Up After Damaging Hail Storm

MARSEILLES, Ill. (CBS) -- The rush for repairs is on after huge hailstones as big as a person's hand pelt parts of the Chicago area, causing serious damage.

From shattered windshields to dented homes, the hail damage has many people scrambling for repairs,

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot went out to Marseilles, where they got especially hard.

Maggie Kaminski says the hail came down with a vengeance, pummeling the siding on her Marseilles home, causing a crack, "like basketballs or something that hit it."

Kaminski saw softball size hail. Her pool and garage, weren't spared either. She says that she has heard from five people offering to do contract work.

"We had three people on foot come by and solicit business and we've had two phone calls," she said. "None of them local businesses at all, just maybe storm chasers."

Marseilles Police Chief Jim Hovious says the department has tough restrictions in place for contractors, to avoid potential scams for homeowners who need repairs.

"Contractors have to register with the city and get a permit from them and if they are going door to door to solicit they have to get a permit from us as well," Hovious said. "So we tell the residents make sure they have both of those documents."

The owner of Terry Bentz Buick knows all about the damage hail can do, to cars. A total of 40 cars were damaged and 10 need new windshields, Terry Bentz Sr. says.

"I've been doing this for 47 years so I am aware of what hail can do and the damage it can do," he said. "In 30 years I haven't seen it this bad. I can say that."

Fairway Body Shop owner Brad Oakes has been working around the clock.

"I've probably wrote close to 80 estimates today," Oakes said. "I got a lot more to write. We're booked up writing estimates until Thursday. "

Oakes says they are working double shifts to meet demand.

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