10 guides
Storm damage: what to do, in order
Wind, hail, and trees down. What to do while it is still happening, how to document it, and why the deductible on a storm claim is often not the one you think.
It is still happening
Stay inside, contain what you can, and do not go on the roof.
- A tree is on the house Get everyone out of that part of the building and stay out, then call the utility if it touched a line. Do not go into the room under it, and do not let anyone start cutting until someone has looked at what the tree is holding up.
- Wind damage to a roof Look from the ground and from inside the attic, not from the roof. Missing shingles, lifted ridge, and granules in the gutters are the signs, and photographing them the same week is what makes the claim work.
- Hail damage Check the soft metal first: gutters, vents, and the air conditioner fins. Hail bruises a roof without breaking it, so the damage is often invisible from the ground and still worth a claim.
- A broken window Get everyone out of the room and close the door before you touch anything. Board it from the inside while the weather is still bad, and keep the glass until it has been photographed.
The weather has passed
Make it safe, document it, and stop it getting worse.
- Emergency tarping It is reasonable mitigation, which means most policies expect you to do it and treat the cost as part of the claim. Do not do it yourself in wind, and get the receipt whoever does it.
- Documenting the damage Photograph the whole building from every side before you touch anything, then the damage close up, then the street. The wide shots and the date are what make the close ups believable.
- Gutters and siding They matter more than they look. A detached downspout puts hundreds of gallons against the foundation, and cracked siding lets water into the wall where nobody sees it until the drywall goes soft.
Insurance and contractors
What wind and hail cover, the deductible nobody expects, and who knocks on the door afterwards.
- Does insurance cover storms? Wind and hail usually yes, water that rose from the ground usually no, and the line between them is where the argument happens. Report it the same week and find out which deductible applies before you commit.
- Wind and hail deductibles In storm exposed states it is often a percentage of the dwelling limit, not a flat amount. On a house insured for 400,000 dollars a two percent deductible is 8,000 before the policy pays anything.
- Contractors at the door Take the paperwork, take nothing else, and do not sign on the doorstep. Some of them are legitimate crews working a disaster. Some are gone before the roof leaks again, and a few are running a fraud you become part of.