All State Insurance Agency says it pays to be prepared.

In just a year, El Paso has seen a 26-% spike in weather related car claims, the highest rate in Texas. The lone star state also leads the nation in catastrophic losses.

“They've had numerous claims, and it's not going to stop with these winds,” said Jose Turon, of All Star Roofing.

The winds aren't just causing damage to cars.

“A lot of shingles are going to get lifted up. What I've noticed is a lot of roofs already have some damage accumulating," said Turon.

Many of the roofs in El Paso don't have the right shingles to withstand the recent strong gusts. Turon said most are 20 year shingles which only handle winds up to about 80 miles per hour, but with the winds we've seen in the recent months and the previous damage the gusts can be mild and still cause damage. He said it's important to get 30 year shingles that can withstand wind gusts over 100 miles per hour, but it's a little late to replace those shingles for the severe weather on Thursday.

Turon said, "there's nothing you can really do, you're at nature's mercy.”

All State suggested always having a clear garage to park your car in. There are also some simple ways to protect some areas of your house like boarding up your windows and putting away anything like lawn furniture that could fly away.

Turon said if a home does suffer damage, the good news is several catastrophe units are in the area because of all the severe weather El Paso has been having; so you should be able to get repairs done quickly.