Storm Damage
Hurricane outcomes are mostly decided in advance. Two identical houses on the same street routinely come through the same storm with wildly different damage — the difference is preparation, maintenance, and documentation. Here’s where to spend your effort.
Season start: photograph everything
The single highest-value hour of hurricane prep is a pre-storm photo record: every exterior elevation, the roof from multiple angles, the lanai and screens, fences, and a walk-through video of the interior including contents. Date-stamped “before” photos convert a post-storm claim from an argument into a comparison. Store them in the cloud, not on a device that rides out the storm in the house.
Get the roof inspected while the sky is blue
Wind exploits existing weakness: lifted shingle tabs, cracked or slipped tiles, deteriorated flashing, and unsealed penetrations become entry points under hurricane pressure and wind-driven rain. A pre-season inspection and repair pass is cheap insurance — and it also documents the roof’s pre-storm condition, which matters if a carrier later argues your damage was “pre-existing wear.”
The upgrades that actually change outcomes
If your roof is due for replacement, replacing before season buys real protection, not just peace of mind: modern installations in high-wind regions include sealed roof decks, upgraded underlayment, enhanced nailing patterns, and hurricane-rated edge metal — and in many coastal jurisdictions these are now code. Ask about wind-rated shingle and tile systems and secondary water barriers when scoping a replacement. Beyond the roof: garage door bracing (garage doors are a leading failure point that pressurizes the whole structure), opening protection, and trimming trees away from the roofline.
Know your policy before you need it
Read the wind provisions now: hurricane deductibles are usually a percentage of dwelling coverage rather than a flat number, and flood is a separate policy entirely — standard homeowner’s policies do not cover storm surge or rising water. If those terms surprise you, a conversation with your agent in July is worth infinitely more than the same conversation in the dark after landfall. Our claims payment guide explains how the numbers work when a claim does happen.
72 hours out
When a storm enters the forecast window: bring in or anchor anything wind can throw, clear gutters and drains so water moves, stage tarps and plastic sheeting, charge everything, and re-shoot a quick dated video of the property’s condition. Do not get on the roof with a storm approaching — nothing up there is worth it at that point.
After the storm
Safety first, then documentation, then mitigation — the full sequence is in the Post-Storm Checklist. Emergency tarping and board-up are covered mitigation under most policies, and our 24/7 line dispatches every day of the season. And when the out-of-state trucks flood in behind the storm, read How to Spot a Storm-Chasing Scam before anyone’s clipboard reaches your kitchen table.
The bottom line
Photograph in June, repair in July, and know your policy before the first advisory. Preparation is the only part of a hurricane you control — control it.
Get Storm-Ready Before the Season Peaks.
Pre-season inspections, repairs, and wind-rated replacements — scheduled now, not in the aftermath.