After a storm, work through your roof in this order: make everyone safe, look from the ground and from inside the house, photograph everything before you touch anything, stop active leaks with temporary measures only, then call your insurer and a roofer you trust for a full inspection. This checklist walks through each step the way we do it for homeowners and business owners in Baytown and the surrounding Texas communities.
TL;DR
- Safety comes first: stay off a wet or damaged roof, stay out of a structurally compromised building, and never inspect a roof alone or in the dark.
- Check from the ground and the attic. Look for missing, cracked or curled shingles, bent flashing, dented gutters and vents, and stains on ceilings.
- Photograph and video all damage before any cleanup, and keep every receipt and note of every call.
- Make only temporary repairs, like a tarp, and hold off on permanent work until your insurer has had its say.
- Get a professional inspection, because hidden damage often shows up only on close examination.
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Put safety ahead of the roof
- Step 2: Inspect from the ground first
- Step 3: Check the gutters, vents and everything else outside
- Step 4: Check inside the house and the attic
- Step 5: Photograph and document before you touch anything
- Step 6: Stop further damage with temporary repairs only
- Step 7: Contact your insurer the right way
- Step 8: Get a professional inspection
- Our perspective
- Ready for a second set of eyes?
- Printable quick checklist
- FAQ
- Sources
Step 1: Put safety ahead of the roof
Your roof can wait an hour. People cannot. The Better Business Bureau’s post-storm guidance tells you to check for injuries and hazards first, then assess and document the damage, and only then report your claim.
Cleanup is where people get hurt. In a study after a tornado in Marion, Illinois, the National Weather Service found that 50 percent of tornado-related injuries happened during rescue attempts, cleanup and other post-storm activity. Gulf Coast storms bring their own version of this: downed lines, broken limbs hanging over the house, and water pooled where it should not be.
Before you go near the roofline, run through this short list:
- Everyone in the household is accounted for and uninjured.
- You smell no gas, and no power lines are down or sagging near the house.
- No tree is resting on the roof, and no wall or roof section has been blown open. The National Insurance Restoration Council recommends staying out of a building in that condition until a contractor has examined it for structural damage.
- No inspector’s color-coded notice is posted on the property. The Red Cross says that if one is, do not go in until local authorities give you further instructions.
If any of those fail, stop here. Call 911 for emergencies, and call us or another licensed roofer for emergency roof repair once it is safe to have crews on the property.
Step 2: Inspect from the ground first
You can learn a lot without leaving the lawn. Walk the whole perimeter in daylight, and use binoculars or your phone’s zoom if you have them. The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) is blunt about the ladder: do not climb up to inspect a roof alone or in the dark. If you do go up, the NRCA recommends sturdy shoes or boots, a long-sleeved shirt and work gloves. Our advice is simpler: stay on the ground.
What to look for on the roof surface
- Missing shingles. Bare patches of decking or a lighter-colored rectangle where a shingle used to be.
- Cracked, torn or curled shingles. Curled corners and lifted tabs mean wind got underneath.
- Exposed asphalt. Dark patches where the surface granules have worn away can be a sign of hail impact.
- Bent or detached flashing. Check around chimneys, walls, valleys and wherever the roof meets a vent pipe.
- Debris. Branches, shingle fragments or siding from a neighbor’s property that landed on your roof.
- Sagging. Any dip in the roofline, from the ground or from the attic, calls for a professional immediately.
Pay extra attention to the edges. The NRCA notes that most wind damage begins at the roof edges, where suction can lift materials and wind pressure can push them further. Eaves, rakes and ridge lines deserve a slower look than the middle of a roof slope.
Tile, metal and flat roofs
Most homes around Baytown wear asphalt shingles, but the same logic carries over to other materials. On tile, look for cracked or slipped pieces and gaps in the rows. On metal, look for lifted panels, loose fasteners and dents. On a commercial flat roof, such as TPO, look for ponding water, torn seams, and lifted or displaced membrane edges near rooftop equipment. Commercial owners can read more about commercial roofing and what we handle there.
Step 3: Check the gutters, vents and everything else outside
The roof surface is not the only evidence. Hail often leaves its clearest marks on soft metal around the house. Walk the property and check:
- Gutters and downspouts for dents, pulled-away sections and loose hangers.
- Roof vents, caps and other accessories for dents, cracks or displacement.
- Skylights for cracked glass or acrylic, and broken seals around the frame.
- Windows for cracks, broken glass and loose weather stripping.
- Siding, fences, AC units and vehicles for dents or pitting. If hail dented your car or your gutters, assume your shingles took hits too.
- Gutter bottoms and downspout outlets for granules washed off the shingles. A pile of them can point to hail wear that you cannot see from the ground.
This is also why we take the hail question seriously. Shingles can look fine from the driveway while the dents on your vents tell a different story. If hail is the issue, our page on hail damage insurance claims in Texas explains your rights as a policyholder.
Step 4: Check inside the house and the attic
Roof damage often announces itself indoors first. Go room by room in daylight and check:
- Ceilings and walls for new stains, discoloration, bubbling paint or peeling wallpaper.
- Attic for daylight coming through the roof deck, wet insulation, damp or dark wood, and sagging rafters or decking. Use a flashlight, step only on joists or solid framing, and stop if the floor feels unsafe.
- Around chimneys, vents and skylights for drips, water trails or musty smells.
- Closets and upper-floor corners, where small leaks hide for weeks.
Daytime is the best time for the attic check, because pinpricks of sunlight through the deck show you exactly where water can get in.
If a ceiling is bulging with water
A sagging, water-filled ceiling is a hazard. The Red Cross advises that you can poke holes starting at the outside edge of the bulge so the water drains slowly, and warns that striking the center can bring down the whole ceiling. Set a bucket beneath, wear eye protection, stand clear of the area directly under the bulge, and photograph it first.
Step 5: Photograph and document before you touch anything
Your insurer will want proof of what the storm did. The BBB tells homeowners to take photos and videos of all damage to the home and property, and the order matters: document first, clean up second.
Here is a practical way to do it:
- Wide shots first. Photograph each side of the house so the damage has context.
- Close-ups next. Get each damaged area with something in the frame for scale, like a coin or a tape measure.
- Interior damage. Photograph every stain, drip and wet spot, with the date visible on your phone’s timestamp.
- Video walk-through. Narrate what you see, room by room and side by side.
- Keep a log. Write down who you spoke to, when, and what they said. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) also recommends keeping notes of your communications with your insurer.
- Save receipts for anything you buy to protect the property, such as tarps, lumber or emergency lodging.
We built a whole guide around this principle in Photograph First to Protect Your Claim. If part of your roof is completely gone, document the damage before calling your insurer and read that page for the specifics.
Step 6: Stop further damage with temporary repairs only
The goal after a storm is to keep the situation from getting worse, not to rebuild. The BBB suggests small temporary repairs, such as covering a broken window or a damaged roof section with a tarp or boards, and advises you to keep the receipts. It also says to avoid permanent repairs until your insurer approves.
There is a second reason to hold back. The NRCA warns that DIY fixes such as puncturing blisters or applying mastic can cover up the evidence a contractor needs to diagnose the damage correctly. A messy patch can make a legitimate claim harder to prove.
A safe temporary approach looks like this:
- Move furniture and valuables out from under active leaks.
- Place buckets and towels, and lay plastic sheeting over what you cannot move.
- If a roofer can place a tarp from the roof safely, let them. Do not climb a wet roof to do it yourself.
- Photograph the area before and after any temporary cover goes on.
If water is coming in now, do not wait for the weekend. We offer 24/7-style urgency on this kind of problem, with emergency roof repair in Baytown available seven days a week.
Step 7: Contact your insurer the right way
The NAIC’s post-disaster guide says to contact your insurer as soon as you know there is damage and you have decided to file. When you call, ask:
- How long do I have to file, and are there special steps for storm claims?
- What is my deductible for wind or hail? Many Texas policies carry a separate, often percentage-based, wind and hail deductible, so read your declarations page.
- What documentation do you need from me?
Two more points from the official guidance are worth knowing. The Texas Department of Insurance says it is illegal in Texas for contractors or roofers to offer to waive a deductible or promise a rebate for one, so anyone who does should not be on your roof. TDI also suggests asking your insurer about advance payments if you need money quickly.
Should you file at all?
Not every storm calls for a claim. The NAIC notes that when damage is minor, such as a few shingles, you may be better off paying for the repair yourself. The way to know is to compare your deductible with an honest repair estimate, which is exactly what a free inspection gives you.
Step 8: Get a professional inspection
A ground-level look can tell you there is a problem. It cannot tell you the full extent of it. A professional inspection confirms what is damaged, what is not, and whether the answer is a repair or a replacement. It is reasonable to get more than one opinion on a large job.
What a good inspection should include:
- A walk of the roof surface, edges, flashing, penetrations and accessories.
- An attic or interior check where water entry is suspected.
- Photos of each problem area, so you can see what the inspector sees.
- A plain-English explanation of your options, with no pressure to sign.
If your insurance adjuster and your contractor disagree, you have options. The NRCA says that when there are discrepancies between the adjuster’s findings and a roofing contractor’s findings, a homeowner may request a reinspection. Photos from your own contractor make that conversation far easier.
Our perspective
Most of the roofs we get called out to after a storm are not total losses. Often it is a handful of lifted shingles, a bent flashing piece or a vent that took a hit. Our approach is to tell you that honestly. If a repair will do the job, we will recommend a repair, not a replacement.
We also think the order of operations matters more than anything. Safety, then photos, then a temporary cover, then the call to your insurer. People who skip the photos often struggle later to show what the storm actually did, and people who rush a permanent fix before an inspection can erase the evidence.
That is why our inspections are free and carry no obligation. We document what we find with photos, explain it in plain words, and help you with the paperwork if a claim makes sense. You decide what happens next.
Dominik
Ready for a second set of eyes?
If your checklist turned up damage, or you are not sure what you are looking at, we can inspect your roof and explain what we find. Sure Claim Roofing is a locally owned roofing company serving Baytown and the surrounding Texas communities for both residential and commercial properties. We handle storm damage repair, documentation for insurance claims, and full replacements when a repair will not be enough.
Book a free roof inspection in Baytown and you get a thorough explanation of your options with photo documentation. We are available seven days a week. If you are weighing your insurance options first, our insurance claims page explains how we help.
Printable quick checklist
Use this condensed version when you are standing in the yard with your phone.
| Area | What to check | Done |
|---|---|---|
| People and site | Injuries, gas smell, downed lines, tree on roof, posted inspection notices | ☐ |
| Roof surface | Missing, cracked or curled shingles; exposed asphalt; sagging | ☐ |
| Roof edges | Lifted edges, rakes and ridge; loose drip edge | ☐ |
| Flashing and vents | Bent, detached or dented flashing, vents and caps | ☐ |
| Gutters | Dents, pulled-away sections, granules at downspout outlets | ☐ |
| Skylights and windows | Cracks, broken seals, loose weather stripping | ☐ |
| Ceilings and walls | Stains, bubbling, bulges, drips | ☐ |
| Attic | Daylight through the deck, wet insulation, damp wood | ☐ |
| Documentation | Wide and close photos, video, call log, receipts | ☐ |
| Temporary protection | Tarp or boards, with receipts kept | ☐ |
| Insurance | Filing window, deductible, required documents | ☐ |
| Professional inspection | Scheduled, with photos provided | ☐ |
For a deeper look at what happens after the inspection, our guide to storm damage roof repair in Baytown covers what to expect.
FAQ
How soon after a storm should I check my roof?
Check as soon as it is safe, meaning the storm has passed, the area is free of hazards and there is daylight. Do a ground-level and attic check right away, since water can keep entering through a small opening. Report any damage to your insurer promptly, because policies can set time limits for filing.
Can I inspect the roof myself?
You can check a lot from the ground, from the attic and from inside the house. The NRCA recommends against climbing a ladder alone or in the dark, so for anything on the roof itself, let a professional do it. A contractor can also see the hidden damage that is easy to miss.
Should I make permanent repairs before the insurance adjuster visits?
No. Limit yourself to temporary protection like tarps or boards, and keep your receipts. The BBB advises waiting for your insurer’s approval before permanent repairs, and DIY patches can hide the evidence that supports your claim.
Will my insurance cover all of it?
That depends on your policy, your deductible and what the adjuster finds. Ask your insurer what is covered, what your wind and hail deductible is, and how long you have to file. In Texas, a roofer cannot legally offer to waive your deductible.
What if the adjuster and my roofer disagree?
It happens often. The NRCA notes you may request a reinspection when the findings differ. Bring your own photos and your contractor’s documentation to that conversation.
Sources
- BBB Tip: What to do after a damaging storm
- Safety After the Storm, National Weather Service
- Storm Damage Inspection, National Insurance Restoration Council
- Roof Repair After Strong Winds, NRCA
- Checking Your Home’s Structure, American Red Cross
- Post-Disaster Claims Guide, NAIC
- Help after a storm, Texas Department of Insurance