What to Do in the First 24 Hours After Storm Damage Hits Your Roof

A severe storm just rolled through. Maybe you heard something hit the roof. Maybe you woke up to find shingles in the yard. Maybe there's water coming through the ceiling. Whatever tipped you off, the clock is now ticking — what you do after roof storm damage in the first 24 hours directly affects how much the repair costs, how smoothly your insurance claim goes, and how much additional damage your home sustains.

Here in Middle Tennessee, April marks the heart of severe weather season. Hail, straight-line winds, and tornadoes are all in play across the Livingston, Cookeville, and Jamestown areas. When they hit, here's exactly what to do, in order.

Step 1: Prioritize Safety Above Everything

Before you inspect anything, make sure your family is safe and the immediate threat has passed. If the storm is still active — lightning, rotation, ongoing high winds — stay inside and away from windows.

Once the weather clears:

• Do not get on your roof. A damaged roof is an unstable roof. Wet surfaces, broken decking, loose shingles, and hidden soft spots make falls a real and serious risk. Leave the roof inspection to professionals with proper safety equipment.
• Watch for downed power lines. If a tree or limb came down near your home, assume any nearby wires are live. Stay at least 35 feet away and call your power company.
• Check for structural damage. If you see large sections of roof missing, walls bowing, or the structure looks compromised, do not enter the home. Call 911 or your local emergency management.
• Turn off electricity to affected areas if there's active water intrusion near outlets, light fixtures, or your electrical panel.

Step 2: Document Everything With Photos and Video

This step is critical for your insurance claim, and most homeowners don't do it thoroughly enough. Before you move anything, clean anything up, or make any temporary repairs, grab your phone and document the damage from every angle.

What to photograph and video:

• Exterior damage from all four sides of the house — roof, siding, gutters, windows
• Shingles, flashing, or debris on the ground
• Dents in metal components — gutters, downspouts, vents, AC units, mailboxes
• Interior water stains, drips, or active leaks
• Damaged personal property (furniture, electronics, belongings)
• Wide shots showing the overall scene, plus close-ups of specific damage

Take photos with timestamps enabled. If your phone's camera doesn't show dates, text or email the photos to yourself immediately to create a verifiable timestamp. Back everything up to cloud storage — don't rely solely on a phone that could be damaged or lost.

Step 3: Prevent Further Damage With Temporary Protection

Your homeowner's insurance policy includes a clause requiring you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a covered event. This means you should make temporary repairs — but only temporary ones. Do not start permanent repairs before your insurance adjuster inspects the damage.

Reasonable temporary measures include:

• Placing tarps over exposed areas of the roof (if you can do so safely from a ladder at the roof edge — do not walk on a damaged roof)
• Putting buckets under active leaks
• Moving furniture and valuables away from water intrusion
• Boarding up broken windows
• Placing plywood over holes if accessible from the attic side

Keep receipts for any materials you buy for temporary repairs (tarps, plywood, buckets). These costs are typically reimbursable under your insurance claim. Photograph the temporary repairs as you make them.

Step 4: Call Your Insurance Company

File your claim as soon as possible — ideally within 24 hours of the storm. Most Tennessee homeowner's policies require "prompt notification" of damage, and delays can give your insurer grounds to question the claim.

When you call, have this information ready:

• Your policy number
• Date and approximate time of the storm
• General description of the damage you can see
• Whether the home is habitable
• Your photos and video documentation

The insurer will assign a claim number and schedule an adjuster visit, typically within 3 to 14 days depending on how widespread the storm damage was. During major storm events that affect a wide area — common in Middle Tennessee spring storms — adjuster wait times can stretch to several weeks as out-of-state adjusters are brought in to handle the volume.

Important: Do not sign anything or agree to a settlement amount during this initial call. Simply report the damage and get your claim number.

Step 5: Get a Professional Roof Inspection

Before the insurance adjuster arrives, get your own independent inspection from a licensed, local roofing contractor. This is not optional — it's the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself financially.

Here's why: insurance adjusters work for the insurance company, not for you. Many are fair and thorough, but their incentive structure naturally favors lower payouts. A professional roofer who works for you will identify all damage — including damage that's not visible from the ground or that an adjuster without roofing experience might miss.

Old Glory Roofing provides free post-storm inspections across the Upper Cumberland. We document everything with photos and detailed reports that you can provide to your adjuster to ensure nothing is overlooked. We also attend adjuster meetings when requested to point out damage and discuss repair scope.

Step 6: Beware of Storm Chasers

Within hours of any significant storm, out-of-town contractors will flood the area, going door to door offering "free inspections" and pressuring homeowners to sign contracts on the spot. These storm chasers follow severe weather from state to state, and while not all of them are dishonest, the business model creates serious risks for homeowners.

Red flags to watch for:

• They knocked on your door unsolicited within hours of the storm
• They pressure you to sign a contract before the insurance adjuster visits
• They offer to "waive your deductible" — this is insurance fraud in Tennessee
• They can't provide a local business address or Tennessee contractor's license
• They ask for large upfront payments before work begins
• They want you to sign over your insurance claim or an "Assignment of Benefits"

A legitimate local contractor will never pressure you. They'll inspect your roof, provide documentation, explain your options, and give you time to make a decision. They'll be here next year if you have a warranty issue — a storm chaser won't.

The Bottom Line: Act Fast, But Act Smart

After storm damage, you're dealing with urgency and stress simultaneously. The impulse is to either panic and hire the first person who shows up, or to freeze and do nothing while the damage compounds. Neither serves you well.

Follow the steps above in order. Protect your family, document the damage, mitigate further harm, file your claim, and get a trusted local professional involved. The homeowners who do this consistently end up with better claim outcomes, faster repairs, and less total out-of-pocket expense.

If a storm has damaged your home in the Livingston, Cookeville, Jamestown, or surrounding areas, Old Glory Roofing is here to help — with honest inspections, insurance claim assistance, and quality repairs from a veteran-owned local company that isn't going anywhere.