Hurricane Damage to Your Roof: What to Do First

Updated 2026-10-24 · Sources checked

"Immediately after the hurricane I could stand in the street in front of my house and see the patches of missing shingles."

One commenter in r/Roofing wrote that, and the street is where to start. Homeowners should only inspect a roof from ground level¹, so photograph and list the damage before any temporary repair² and protect the house from more water. If you file a claim, hold permanent repairs until the insurance company has seen the damage³.

Quick answer:

Walk around the house and look up for missing or damaged shingles⁴.
Photograph and list the damage first, then make only temporary fixes and save receipts⁵.
Water coming in: catch it, move belongings away, and dry wet items within 24-48 hours⁶.
Read your policy and check your deductible before you decide to file.

On this page

What to do first if the roof looks damaged
Why does a lifted shingle matter before the next rain?
While you wait: photograph first, then protect
Insurer first, or a roofer you choose?
Before you file: the order, the deductible, the estimate
Checklist before you call anyone
Quick questions

Everything on this list you can do today, from the ground and from inside the house.

What to do first if the roof looks damaged

Look for the signs below, starting outside. From the yard, or from the street in front of your house:

Missing or damaged shingles⁴.
Shingles that look lifted⁷.

From inside the attic, look for wet spots, a drip trail or a spot of light coming through⁸. Check ceilings and walls for any signs of leaks⁴ too.

Why does a lifted shingle matter before the next rain?

Wind can lift shingles that are not sealed down, and water can seep underneath⁷. So the patch you can see may not be the only place water can reach.

The next section covers what you control while you wait for the roofers to get to your house. It also protects your claim: in California, a homeowners policy may not cover later damage if you have not taken reasonable steps to secure the property⁹.

While you wait: photograph first, then protect

Photograph or videotape the damage and make a list of it before any temporary repair². If you file a claim, avoid throwing out damaged items until the adjuster, the insurer's inspector, has visited⁵. If you're scooping up shingles out of the street, keep a few pieces somewhere dry: they show the roofer and the adjuster what came off.

Water coming in: put a bucket under it and move belongings out of the way.
Dry wet areas inside within 24-48 hours, to prevent mold⁶.
Keep to temporary fixes, such as a tarp on your roof³, and keep the receipts: you may be able to submit them to your insurance company later⁵. Ask a roofer you chose to put the tarp on, so you stay off the roof.
If the roofer can't come today, keep catching and drying, and look again from the ground and the attic after the next rain.

Wondering who can tell you what damage is really up there? Is a free storm roof inspection safe to accept.

Insurer first, or a roofer you choose?

The first contact can be your insurance company or a roofer you chose yourself, never one who shows up uninvited¹⁰. Whoever you call, do the preparation in the next section first.

A reply in r/HomeMaintenance put the worry plainly: "The roofer is hoping for a full re-roof job." In Florida, a roofing contractor may not offer a rebate, gift card, cash, coupon or waiver of your deductible¹¹ for an inspection or a claim. An offer like that is a red flag.

Someone you didn't call turned up offering to fix the roof? How to tell a real roofer from a storm scam.

Before you file: the order, the deductible, the estimate

Call prepared. A sensible order:

Document: photos and a list of the damage, then temporary fixes only, with receipts.
Prepare: read your policy to see your responsibilities⁵, then, if you doubt a claim is worth it, get repair estimates and compare them with your deductible¹².
Make the first contact, with your photos and questions ready.
If you file a claim, let the adjuster see the damage before any permanent repair.

A deductible is the part of a claim you pay yourself. A separate windstorm or wind/hail deductible can apply to any kind of wind damage¹³. Some are a percentage: on a $300,000 house with a 5 percent deductible, the first $15,000 of a claim is paid by the owner¹³. Your numbers will differ.

That matters because if repairs cost about the same as your deductible or less, filing may not be worth it¹². One reply in r/HomeMaintenance put the doubt this way: "Insurance in FL is already insane, I don’t think it’s worth it to file and claim and risk getting dropped." A written estimate from a roofer you chose yourself lets you test that doubt against your own roof.

Ask each roofer for a price for each repair, a signed change order before any extra work, and what is paid at each stage. You can send this:

Please list in writing each repair you recommend, with a photo of each problem and its price. Please also tell me how any extra work would be approved and priced before it is done, and what I pay at each stage.

If a roofer pushes you to sign today or won't put this in writing, that is an answer too: weigh it against the estimates that do.

With your photos and deductible ready, how does a claim run from there? Roof insurance claim process, in order.

Checklist before you call anyone

Your photos and list of the damage, with dates.
Your policy's deductible, and whether a separate wind deductible applies.
A written estimate from a roofer you chose, if you already have one. If not, you can ask for it when you make contact.
Your questions: who inspects, when, and what they will put in writing.

Quick questions

Do roof warranties cover storm damage?

Read the warranty paperwork for what it lists, and ask the manufacturer or installer in writing whether storm damage is included.

What is the 25% rule for roofing?

It is a Florida building-code rule. No more than 25 percent of a roof or roof section may be repaired, replaced or recovered in any 12-month period unless the whole roofing system or section is replaced to meet the code¹⁴. Ask your roofer which code edition applies to your roof and what it means for your repair.

Will insurance pay for a new roof because mine is old?

In Texas, your insurance company won't pay for a new roof just because it's old or worn out¹⁵. Photos of what the storm did help show which damage is new.