What To Do After a Storm
How do you identify roof damage, and what should you do about your roof after a major storm?
Schedule and Conduct a Roof Inspection
As always, safety is first. Contact a trusted, professional roofing contractor to schedule an inspection and help you with damage assessment. Most contractors will know how to safely look for roof damage.
Roof: Visually assess your roof by walking around the perimeter of your house and taking note of any visible storm damage.
You might also have a good view of parts of your roof from one of your windows. Keep a list of notes and/or take pictures — this can potentially be helpful later for insurance purposes. Any visible signs of storm damage should be documented, such as dented, torn, curled, or missing shingles.
Gutters, Vents, and Windows: Check for dents on your home’s gutters and roofing accessories, such as gable vents and other overhangs. Windows should be inspected for cracks, broken glass, loose weather-stripping, and torn screens.
Outside Areas: Walk around your home’s exterior and look for fallen tree limbs, missing fence posts, or damage to lawn furniture and other decorations. Flat surfaces, such as patios and decks, can be checked for hail damage.
Attic and Ceilings: Observe these areas for leaks and water spots. While your home’s roof might appear undamaged on the exterior, wind and hail can cause unseen leaks that may lead to bigger problems later. Ceilings, light fixtures, and your attic should all be inspected for water leaks and spots. Use a flashlight to see in dark areas.
Types of Roof Storm Damage
Wind
Hurricane-force winds, which are classified by meteorologists as 74 mph or greater, or gale-force winds, which are between 39-54 mph, can cause visible damage to your home’s roof. High winds can remove or tear shingles, leaving the underlayment, roof deck, or waterproofing material exposed to the elements.
During less severe storms, sudden, sharp gusts of wind can lift and curl shingles. When shingles are installed, they’re purposefully overlapped to create a water-tight seal, and this lifting and curling can break this seal, potentially leaving your roof vulnerable to damage from wind-driven rain.
Hail
While hailstorms tend to be relatively short, and rarely last for longer than 15 minutes, hailstones can leave dents or pockmarks in shingles and knock shingle granules loose. This can be problematic because these granules help protect your roof against rain and sun damage. Hail damage can also ruin the pleasing aesthetic appearance of your roof’s surface.
Standing Water
Roofs without proper drainage can experience problems with standing water after big rainstorms, especially in uneven areas. Clogged gutters can also cause backed up rainwater under your shingles, which allows moisture to potentially penetrate the underlayment or the roof deck.
Debris
Depending on how severe the storm was, debris can end up on the top of your roof, everything from small branches to larger tree limbs. Large objects can dent or impact the surface of the shingle, leaving that area of the roof vulnerable to moisture intrusion, whereas lighter branches may not be as much of a problem.
Hire a Dependable, Trusted Roofing Contractor
It’s important to work with a contractor you can trust. Roofers and repair companies are likely to be busy after a large regional storm and may try to compete for your business by offering discounts or deals. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is a good place to start is by researching quality roofers that work in your area who have good reviews on multiple social media platforms.
Roofing contractors can:
- Assess your damage with a professional eye.
- Provide an estimate on repair costs.
- Replace or repair your roof.
- Make sure the roofing contractor you’re considering is licensed, insured, and can offer a strong warranty for the work they do.
- Ensure the roofing contractor is capable of assessing and estimating damage.
- Check out online reviews about other people’s experiences using their services
If damages are found you may want to call Your Homeowners Insurance Provider
to find out if any of the damages are covered under your policy.
We can provide you with photos and an estimate to repair or replace the damaged roof, so you can have them for your Insurance Companies review.
Protect Your Property Today With Our Hurricane Roofing Services
As you can see, there is still a lot of time left until Hurricane Season is over. Protect your home before it’s too late! Recent years have seen record-breaking damage sweep the region from these massive storms. Some residents are lucky, while others… not so much. Take luck out of it and know that your property will be secure in the worst conditions with the expert services offered by Fiddler’s Roofing, your trusted Orlando Roofing Company.
Filing An Insurance Claim
OVERALL RECOMMENDED STEPS TO FILING A CLAIM
We are insurance restoration contractors, meaning we understand the insurance process and work with you and your insurance company to restore your home to better than it was before the storm. Your insurance advocate from Fiddler’s Roofing will make the insurance process easy!
- Contact us to have a complimentary roof inspection performed by a trained professional. If you have roof damage, we will recommend that you file a claim.
- File a claim with your insurance carrier’s claims office. Notify them that Fiddler’s Roofing inspected the roof and found evidence of hail or wind damage.
- Your advocate from Fiddler’s Roofing will meet with the adjuster.
- Our detailed assessment is provided to the insurance adjuster or carrier.
- Scope of damages will be finalized between the adjuster and your advocates from Fiddler’s Roofing.
- Your Project Manager will help oversee the entire process to make things easy for you.
- The only thing you pay is your deductible and any pre-selected upgrades.
- The scope of work is scheduled and completed. Your insurance company is invoiced and depreciation released to you.
- Upon completion of construction and full payment to Fiddler’s Roofing your warranty and paid in full invoice will be sent.
