Along the Front Range, the severe weather and hailstorms we receive can be a serious hazard. When a hail storm strikes, it’s best to know what actions to take to protect your family and your property. By taking these precautions, you can avoid injury and be set up to repair any property damage quickly.
Precautions to take during a hailstorm
- If you are outdoors when a hail storm begins – find shelter immediately. Even if the hail begins as small pebble-size stones, it can quickly grow to large, damaging hail. Do not linger outdoors.
- If you are driving – stay in your vehicle, and pull over to a safe location to stop. Even if the hail is large enough to crack car windows, you are safer inside your vehicle than outside it.
- If you are in your home – remain indoors. Use your smartphone to take photos and videos of the storm occurring outside your windows.
Six steps to take after a hailstorm
- Make sure the storm danger has passed before stepping outside.
- Go outside with your camera. Capture photos of the hailstones, trees and plants, and exterior of your property. Hail can damage gutters, downspouts, windows and screens, garage doors, and siding. Quickly photographing any damage along with the hail that caused it can be helpful if you end up utilizing your property insurance to repair the damage.
- Clean up any dangerous debris. Felled tree branches and broken glass can be especially hazardous for kids and pets.
- Patch any roof leaks with a tarp. Hail usually doesn’t cause instant roof failure – it reduces the life of the roof instead. But some large hail strikes can cause an immediate leak that you’d want to patch until a repair can be completed.
- Have a professional roof inspection performed. A professional Denver roof inspection will reveal if your roof was compromised by the hailstorm. You should receive photos from the inspection along with a report of the roof damage observed. Most Denver roofing companies will perform a residential hail-damage inspection for free.
- Contact your insurance company. If there is clear hail damage to your roof, contact your insurance company to begin the process of an insurance claim. They will schedule an adjuster to assess the damage, and we recommend having a roofing contractor present when the adjuster inspects your roof.
It’s best to act quickly after a hailstorm to ensure you get your property back to pre-storm conditions as soon as possible.
If you need assistance with the process, contact the team at Sol Vista Roofing.
