Storm Damage Triage: What to Do in the First 48 Hours
A clear order of operations after a storm — safety, containment, documentation, then assessment. What you do in the first two days shapes both the repair and the claim.
After a serious storm there is a strong pull to do something immediately, and usually the most useful things are not the most dramatic ones. What you do in the first two days determines how well the damage is documented, how much secondary damage occurs, and how straightforward the repair conversation is. Here is a sensible order, with the reasoning behind each step.
First: safety, before anything else
Nothing on this list is worth an injury. Work through these before you start assessing damage.
- ✓Downed or sagging power lines anywhere on the property — stay well back, keep everyone away, and call your utility. Never assume a line is dead, and never touch anything a line is resting on, including a tree, a fence or an eavestrough.
- ✓A smell of gas — leave immediately and call from outside.
- ✓Standing water indoors near outlets, appliances or a panel — shut off the affected circuits at the panel if you can do so safely and dry, and if you cannot, leave it to an electrician.
- ✓A ceiling that is bulging, sagging or dripping heavily — keep people out of the room. A saturated ceiling can come down all at once.
- ✓Structural damage: a tree on the roof, a visibly deflected roof line, cracked walls, doors that will not close. That is a call to an engineer or your municipality before anyone goes inside to assess.
- ✓Debris fields — broken glass, sharp metal, nails in the grass and driveway. Sweep before anyone walks or drives through, especially with children or pets around.
Second: do not go on the roof
This has to be said plainly because it is the instinct. A metal roof after a storm is one of the worst places to be: the surface is wet, it may be scattered with debris, panels or trims may be loose and unable to bear weight, and the damage you are trying to see may be exactly what gives way. There is no photograph from up there that justifies the risk, and every professional who assesses storm damage does it with fall protection and training. Use binoculars, use a zoom lens from the ground, use an upstairs window across the yard, and stop there. If a drone operator is available and safe, that is another option. A person on a ladder trying to see over the eave is not.
Third: contain what is happening inside
This is where a homeowner genuinely helps, and it is all indoor work. Move furniture, electronics and anything with sentimental value out of the affected area, or cover it. Put containers under active drips and towels around them. Pull back wet carpet if you can. If a ceiling is holding water in a bulge, put a large container underneath and make one small hole at the lowest point with a screwdriver so it drains in a controlled way rather than collapsing. Get air moving with fans and, if it is safe and dry enough outside, open windows — wet drywall and insulation start growing mould within a couple of days, and drying is time-sensitive. Take note of every mitigation step you take, because most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage.
Fourth: document thoroughly, before you tidy up
Photographs taken before cleanup are worth far more than photographs taken after. Be systematic.
- ✓Photograph all four elevations of the house from a distance, so the overall condition and context are captured.
- ✓Photograph specific damage with a zoom from the ground: lifted trim, displaced panels, dented surfaces, damaged eavestrough, broken vents.
- ✓Photograph everything on the ground — fallen branches, hail on the lawn, pieces of trim, fasteners in the driveway, damaged fencing, dented downspouts. Ground evidence establishes what happened.
- ✓Photograph all interior damage: ceiling stains, wet insulation, damaged flooring, damaged contents, with something in frame for scale.
- ✓Keep damaged material rather than throwing it out — a torn piece of trim or a cracked boot is physical evidence.
- ✓Keep receipts for anything you buy or pay for during mitigation: tarps for indoor use, fans, a dehumidifier, temporary accommodation.
- ✓Write a short dated timeline while it is fresh: when the storm hit, when you first noticed each problem, what you did and when.
- ✓Note the storm date and general conditions. Publicly available weather records for your area on that date corroborate the event.
Photograph before you clean. It is the step people skip and the one they most often wish they had not. Once the branches are hauled away and the debris swept up, the visual record of what happened on your property is gone, and reconstructing it later from memory is a much weaker position to be in.
Fifth: contact your insurer
Report the loss promptly — most policies require timely notice, and reporting early does not commit you to anything. Ask what they need from you, whether an adjuster will attend and when, what documentation format they prefer, and what your policy says about your obligation to mitigate further damage. Be factual and complete about what you have observed, and be honest about what you do not yet know. What we will not do is tell you what your policy covers: coverage varies enormously between policies, insurers treat wind, hail, cosmetic damage and water damage differently, and the only accurate answer comes from your own policy documents and your insurer or broker. Anyone who tells you before an inspection that your claim will be approved is not in a position to know that.
Sixth: get an independent assessment
An adjuster works for the insurer. That is not sinister, it is just their role, and it is a reason to also have someone assess the damage on your behalf who understands the specific roofing system you have. A useful independent assessment produces a written report with photographs, identifies damage that is not visible from the ground, distinguishes storm damage from pre-existing wear, and describes what a proper repair involves rather than just what it costs. If there is a difference of opinion about scope, having that documentation is what makes the conversation productive rather than adversarial.
Seventh: be careful about who knocks on your door
After any significant hail or wind event in Southern Ontario, crews appear in affected neighbourhoods within days, some of them local and reputable and some of them not. The pressure tactics are consistent enough to be recognizable: an inspection offered on the spot, an urgent claim that damage is severe, a contract or an assignment of benefits presented for signature immediately, a large deposit requested before work begins, and an offer to handle the claim entirely on your behalf. Slow down. A roof that survived the storm can wait a few days for a considered decision.
- ✓Ask for a local business address you can actually visit, not just a phone number.
- ✓Ask for proof of liability insurance and a current WSIB clearance certificate, and verify them yourself rather than accepting a printout.
- ✓Ask for references in your area from work done more than a year ago, and follow up on them.
- ✓Get the full scope of work in writing, itemized, before signing anything, and read what you sign.
- ✓Be wary of any document that assigns your claim rights or your insurance proceeds to a contractor.
- ✓Do not pay a large deposit, and do not pay cash.
- ✓Never accept an offer to cover or absorb your deductible. It is not a favour and you do not want to be party to it.
What temporary protection is realistic on a metal roof
Less than people expect. Tarping works reasonably on a shingle roof where a tarp can be fastened and gripped. On metal it is a poor option: there is nothing to fasten to that does not create new penetrations, tarps slide on the slick surface, and wind gets under them. On a steep metal slope it is genuinely dangerous work. In practice, the effective temporary measures after a storm are indoor containment and drying, clearing debris at ground level, making sure downspouts can discharge, and getting a professional out to secure anything that is loose. If a panel or a length of trim is flapping, that is the one item that warrants an urgent call rather than a scheduled visit, because it will damage more of the roof with every gust.
What a proper storm inspection covers
Not just the obvious damage. A thorough assessment looks at all slopes, not only the one facing the storm; the ridge, hips, rakes and eaves where uplift concentrates; fasteners and whether any have withdrawn; trims and closures; penetrations, boots and vents that may have been struck or displaced; the eavestrough and downspouts; the attic, for daylight, wind-driven snow or new staining; and the elevations, for damage to siding and fencing that came from the same event. It should distinguish clearly between damage from this storm and pre-existing condition, because that distinction is exactly what the claim conversation turns on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I call my insurer or a contractor first?
Deal with safety and containment first, then either. Reporting to your insurer promptly is generally expected and costs you nothing. Having an independent assessment before or alongside the adjuster's visit gives you an informed picture of the damage. What matters is that both happen and that you have your own documentation either way.
There is no visible damage but water came in during the storm. Now what?
That is quite common, particularly with wind-driven rain that found a lap, a ridge or a wall flashing that is watertight in ordinary rain. It is still worth inspecting and documenting, because the entry point is real even if it is not dramatic. Note the wind direction during the storm — it narrows the search considerably.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Policies set their own notice requirements and they vary, so check yours or ask your broker rather than relying on a general figure. The practical answer is to report promptly. Delay makes it harder to connect the damage to a specific event and gives secondary damage time to develop, which complicates everything.
Can I do temporary repairs myself without affecting a claim?
Reasonable steps to prevent further damage are normally expected of you. The important part is to document the condition before you change it and keep receipts for what you spend. Just do that documentation and mitigation from inside and at ground level — nothing about a claim is worth being on a wet roof for.
What if my neighbours are all getting new roofs and I am told mine is fine?
Roofs of different ages, materials and orientations genuinely respond differently to the same storm, and a metal roof frequently comes through an event that damages asphalt around it. If you want a second opinion, get one from an independent party rather than from whoever is already working on the street. A written assessment either way is worth having on file.
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