Last week’s severe weather brought widespread destruction across the state as a hailstorm rained havoc on areas from Jackson to McComb.

But despite being a cliché, every cloud has a silver lining.

In this case, that silver lining has showed up in some areas of the local economy.

The lobby was full at the Farm Bureau claims office in Brookhaven on Tuesday as policyholders sought to remedy their damages.

“This is a very busy place these days,” said Paul Baham, manager at the claims office. “But we are trying to make it as convenient for the client as possible.”

The Farm Bureau claims office allows customers to bring in their damaged vehicles where an adjuster will make an estimate and hand the client a check on the spot.

Baham said 3,581 hail-related automobile claims have already been filed statewide through Farm Bureau with about 1,000 in his nine-county district in southwest Mississippi alone.

Farm Bureau has set up a tent to act as a temporary claims office in McComb, as well as other areas in the state, to accommodate the large demand. Additional staff has also been brought in from Arkansas and Louisiana to assist in the process.

Jim Kachelmuss manages a Catastrophe Services Team for State Farm. The 120-member crew of adjusters is dispatched throughout the country whenever a situation beckons them.

“We travel to wherever Mother Nature decides to do its thing,” Kachelmuss said.

Kachelmuss reported more than 14,000 hail-related auto claims across the state through State Farm.

Back at the Farm Bureau office, Mark Lewis awaited an estimate on his daughter’s Lexus SUV on Tuesday. Lewis said his daughter, Lindy West, was working at the Mississippi Sports Medicine Center in Jackson when the storm hit.

“She told me everybody that worked there had substantial damage,” Lewis said. “And after it was over, it looked like it had snowed.”

The hail-beaten Lexus, displaying a Lincoln county tag, was missing its back window and sunroof.

Baham explained a lot of his clients are local residents that commute to Jackson for work.

“This is the single biggest weather event to hit our area since Katrina,” Baham said. “I predict the economic impact in this area will be at least $5 million.”

After clients were issued a check, Baham encouraged them to use a local, reputable person do their repairs.

“We don’t want those dollars to be given to out-of-state people and leave the community,” he said. “There can be a positive side to all this bad weather.”

That message seems to have resonated in many of those clients.

At Smith Brothers’ Collision Center on Brookhaven Street owner Adam Smith said his business has increased 50 percent since the storm hit.

“It has been controlled chaos over here,” Smith said. “With a storm like this, we’ll be working on these cars for the next six months.”

Smith said in addition to local clients, they have also received a large influx of overflow from Jackson and McComb.

Over at Porter’s Body Shop on Hartman Street, Office Manager Wendy Watts said the shop was full and she expects business to stay good for a while.

“To say we have had a large increase in business would be an understatement,” Watts said.

Repairs on vehicles can take on average of two to three weeks, in turn, benefiting another industry.

“When the body shops are backed up we are backed up, too,” said Keith Thompson, branch manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car on Brookway Boulevard.

Thompson said his branch has received a lot of the overflow from the Jackson and McComb branches.

“A hailstorm is something you can’t plan for,” he said. “But when it happens, we all work together to meet the customer’s need.”

Another local business that has seen a tremendous increase in sales is The Glass Doctor, which covers the Jackson metro area.

“Since 4 p.m. last Monday, our phone has been ringing off the hook,” Owner Brad Roberson explained.

Roberson said he has been in the process of hiring more technicians to fill the demand his office has received. He has reached out to other franchises in hopes that they can send temporary help.

“Our sales were three times more last week than what they normally are,” he said. ” Our only limit is having enough people to do the job.”