Determining Storm Damage

It’s springtime, and that means it’s the time of year when thunderstorms come around. They often bring along lots of wind and hail that can potentially cause damage to your home. However, when talking to your insurance company, you never want to tell them that you’re dealing with wind and hail. Instead, you want to say a key phrase to them while making a claim: you’ve had storm damage.

There are a few ways to see if you’ve had storm or hail damage while keeping both your feet on the ground. One immediate way that you’ll notice wind damage is if you see shingles that have blown off your roof. If you see debris in your yard, you’ll be able to immediately identify that it was the result of wind damage. You might also be able to see some dents if you look at the underside of your gutters or downspouts. Another place to look is your mailbox—it might seem like an odd place, but hail tends to leave clear marks. The telltale signs of hail might also be visible on your driveway, siding, window casings, or window screens.

Hail damage will leave obvious signs of damage on your car if it’s parked on your driveway. If you see signs of hail there, there’s a very good chance that you had hail on your roof too. You can also look for paint damage on the siding or shredded flowers in your yard. Outdoor furniture, sheds, decks, garage doors, outdoor lights, and swing/play sets can also show signs of hail damage if they are made of wood or steel. Your air conditioner’s condenser has fins that can show hail dents as well.

If you have a wood fence, you’ll likely be able to see where hail hit and left a splat mark. (This is the result of the hail pushing dirt that has accumulated on the wood. By pushing it away, it leaves a distinct mark on painted wood or other similar surfaces.) When it comes to the higher areas of your home, I highly suggest that you reach out to us here at Bakeris Roofing to take a look at it for you. We will get up high and inspect the entire roof while you keep your feet on the ground. We can check out the roof for any storm damage, lifted shingles, or hail dents. We can also check the top side of the gutters.

Once we’ve taken a look at your home, we leave ourselves open to helping you during the process of filing a claim. If you want to have an inspector come out, we’ll go and meet with them to take a walk on the roof. For any questions about how we can look at your home’s roof while you keep both feet on the ground, contact us online or give us a call at 515-967-8199.