The first 48 hours after storm damage to your home

Serious storm damage is disorienting. There is often water involved, the house is not behaving the way it should, and there is a strong urge to do something immediately. That urge is right, but the order matters. Here is how we would spend the first two days.

Safety first, and that is not a formality

If a tree has come through the roof, if there is any sagging in a ceiling, or if water is anywhere near electrical fittings, treat the affected rooms as out of bounds until someone competent has looked. A ceiling holding water is heavier than it looks and comes down without warning.

Do not get on the roof. This is the single most common way a storm turns into an injury. A roof that has just taken hail or wind has compromised footing, and wet decking behaves differently to dry decking.

Stop the water, temporarily

If water is coming in, the priority is limiting how far it travels rather than fixing anything properly. Move what you can, get containers under active drips, and lift anything absorbent off wet floors.

For the roof itself, a tarp is the right temporary answer and it is worth getting somebody out to do it rather than attempting it yourself. We offer emergency services and can get a roof tarped ahead of the next front, which matters in Oklahoma where a second storm frequently follows the first within days. One of our customers had exactly that: a crew out to tarp the roof just in time for a big storm, while the insurance side was still being worked out.

Document everything, now

This is the part people regret skipping, because it cannot be recreated later once repairs have started.

• Photograph every affected room from the doorway, then close up on the specific damage.
• Photograph the exterior from all four sides, including guttering, siding, fencing and outbuildings.
• Photograph any hail on the ground next to something for scale, if it is still there.
• Keep receipts for anything you buy to mitigate the damage, including tarps, containers and a hotel if the house is not habitable.
• Note the date and rough time the storm came through.
• Do not throw damaged items away until they have been recorded.

Photograph more than you think you need. It costs nothing and you cannot go back for it.

Call a contractor before you call the insurer

This runs against instinct, but it is the right order in most cases. Always have a licensed contractor come out and inspect the damage first, so that when you do speak to your insurance company you are describing an assessed property rather than a guess.

It also protects you from filing a claim you did not need. A storm that dropped a small amount of hail or blew a few shingles off does not automatically mean an insurer will pay for a complete replacement, and a claim on your record has its own cost.

Be careful who you agree to

Within a day or two of any significant storm there will be people knocking on doors across the affected area. Some will be legitimate. Some will be operating in Tulsa this month and somewhere else next month.

You do not have to decide anything on your doorstep, and you should not. Ask for a licence number and check it. Ask whether they are bonded and insured. Ask how long they have worked in this area and whether they will still be here for a warranty conversation in three years.

For reference, ours is Oklahoma License #80003885, fully bonded, licensed and insured, Atlas Certified, and BBB accredited since 30 September 2019.

Have somebody with you at the adjuster visit

Once a claim is filed, the adjuster inspection is the moment that decides the number. Having your contractor present, with the damage already identified and marked across the whole property rather than just the roof, changes what gets assessed.

If the settlement comes back lower than the damage warrants, supplements are the normal route, and an experienced contractor will know what was missed. Customers have had claims approved with us after a previous company failed to get the same claim through.

Then slow down

After the first 48 hours, the emergency phase is over and the rebuild is a project rather than a crisis. That is the point to take your time choosing who does the permanent work.

If you are in Tulsa or the wider Green Country area and need somebody out quickly, call (918) 508-1771. Inspections and estimates are free, and we offer emergency services with extended hours by appointment.