What should a roof inspection after a storm include?

First, stay safe

• Stay away from downed power lines and limbs tangled in wires.
• Do not climb on a wet or damaged roof.
• If water is coming in, move belongings, catch drips and turn off power to wet light fixtures.

Your own check

1. Walk around the house: missing shingles, debris on the roof, bent vents, dented gutters and downspouts.
2. Look at soft metals and the air conditioner for hail dents.
3. Check the attic and ceilings for new stains or drips.
4. Photograph everything, including hail in the yard next to a coin for scale, and note the date and time of the storm.

Limit further damage

Policies generally expect reasonable steps to prevent more damage, such as a tarp over an opening. Keep receipts. Then use a checklist like the after a hail storm checklist.

The professional inspection

A good post-storm inspection covers every slope, ridge and edge, all flashing and penetrations, gutters and soft metals, and the attic, with photos. For hail, inspectors mark hits on the shingles; for wind, they look for creased, lifted and missing shingles. The free North Georgia Hail Map shows reported hail by zip code.

Watch for storm chasers

Be careful with anyone who pressures you to sign that day, offers to cover your deductible, which is illegal in Georgia, or asks you to sign over insurance proceeds. Georgia law bars contractors from taking an assignment of insurance benefits within one year of a declared natural disaster. Wind patterns specific to this state are covered in wind damage to roofs in Georgia.