Storm Damage Signs: How to Check Your Roof After a Triad Storm

After a storm rolls through the Triad, the first question is usually “did it hurt my roof?” Often you can’t tell from the driveway. This guide shows what to look for, how to look safely, and when it’s time to call someone.

The most important rule comes first: stay off the roof. A storm-damaged roof can be slick or weakened in ways you can’t see. Everything below can be done from the ground, with binoculars if you have them.

Hail, wind, and fallen trees leave different marks

• Wind can lift shingle edges and break the seal strips that hold them down, sometimes without the shingle looking moved. It can also leave shingles missing, creased, or curled. In a stronger storm like the October 11 Raleigh tornado, the damage can be much more severe. That’s a good reason to know the signs.
• Hail can bruise or crack shingles and knock granules loose. Look for granules in your gutters or at the bottom of downspouts, and for dents on soft metal such as vents, gutters, and flashing.
• Fallen trees and limbs can crush or puncture shingles and the decking beneath them. Even when a limb is small, look for the spot where it landed.

A ground-level checklist

Walk all the way around your house, then check the inside:

1. Shingles: missing, creased, curled, or lifted shingles, especially along the edges and the ridge.
2. Chimneys, vents, and flashing: bent, loose, or missing metal and anything that looks out of place around penetrations.
3. Yard and driveway: pieces of shingle, or dark granules that look like coarse sand.
4. Gutters and downspouts: granules, dents, or sections pulled away from the house.
5. Limbs on the roof: any branch or tree resting on the roof or leaning against the house.
6. Attic and ceilings: new stains, damp insulation, or daylight where there shouldn’t be any. Water stains can take days or weeks to show up, so check again after the next rain.

What to photograph

Photos help your insurance company and your roofer understand what happened. Take them from the ground and from inside the house:

• Wide shots of each side of the house and roof.
• Close-ups of anything damaged, such as shingles, flashing, gutters, and fallen limbs.
• Debris in the yard and on the driveway.
• Ceiling or attic stains, with something in the frame for scale.
• Photos before and after any emergency repair, like a tarp, plus the receipts.

Write down the date and time of the storm and a list of anything else damaged, like fencing or siding.

When to call

• Right away: if you see a limb or tree on the roof, water coming in, a sagging ceiling, or exposed decking. Call a professional to tarp the area. The NC Department of Insurance says to make reasonable emergency repairs to prevent more damage. Don’t climb up there yourself.
• Soon: if you see any of the signs above, or you just aren’t sure. A professional can check the things you can’t see from the ground, like broken seal strips.
• Your insurance company: if you think you have storm damage, contact your agent or insurer promptly and read your policy for its deadlines. The NC Department of Insurance also advises against making extensive repairs before the adjuster inspects. Our NC step-by-step claim guide explains the process.

We recommend a professional inspection before you file. If the roof has wear and age instead of storm damage, we’ll say so, because a claim for damage that isn’t covered doesn’t help you.

For more on how strong winds damage roofs and what to do afterward, read Tornadoes and Strong Winds: What They Do to a Roof and What to Do Next.

Get it looked at

Blue Hat Roofing serves Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Kernersville, and High Point NC. Request a free roof inspection or call (336) 505-7977, and we’ll give you an honest answer about what the storm did.