The aftermath of a storm can have direct impacts on your roof that will most likely need your immediate attention, repair, or replacement. Strong winds, hail, falling debris, and excessive rain during storms damage the shingles on your roof, resulting in the collection of water and debris which has a high chance of causing a leak and structural damage.
Here’s how the elements of a storm can cause damage and how you can identify them:
Old roof type with 3-Tab Shingles cannot sustain winds over 50 mph and hence can have wind damage even after a thunderstorm. High winds impact shingles the most, causing them to lift up or as wood rot and weakened shingles happen over a period of time, it is recommended to get a roof tune-up every 8 years which costs less than repairment of a large leak.
Damages from hailstorm may differ depending on the size of the hail, wind speed, roofing material etc and can be seen in form of holes, dents or granule loss which aggravates aging of your roof. A rainstorm with hail of 1 inch diameter can cause some damage however a hailstorm for longer duration can cause severe damage to your roof requiring repairs or even a replacement. Identify hail damages by looking through your gutters and downspouts for dents and dings, cracks and granule loss from shingles, sometimes minor damages can be hard to detect with an untrained eye so you must consider getting a roof inspection done after a hailstorm has hit your area.
Curling shingles are harder to spot and do not protect your roof from leaks and require to be replaced. Roof leaks and seepage spots on your ceiling can indicate potential wind damage, flashing around chimneys are prone to wind damage. You can identify missing shingles with a ground inspection, and sometimes you can find them scattered around your property, also look for cracks and separation around the corners or ends of the chimney.
Strong gusts of wind with the presence of flying debris can cause the gutters, downspouts, and sidings to clog. Tree branches and debris from roofing materials can cause dents, holes, and cracks which might require structural repairs to your roof. A thorough visual inspection by roofers can help you identify damages that are not as obvious as an overhanging tree branch falling over your roof.
One of the main reasons for water leaking through roofs after a major storm event is heavy rain. Water can seep through odd water-tight areas during a rainstorm such as your roof’s ridge vent. Hurricane rains in high volume can cause small amounts of water to seep through damaged and worn-out areas in your roof such as edges near gutters, window sidings, dormers, etc.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, pretty lights, snowflakes and more but don’t let damages from the harsh weather affect your spirit this season. The presence and accumulation of snow on your roof can cause damages that all homeowners should be aware of; ice dam formations can cause water from snow melts due to attic insulation to seep through shingles or broken edges, dense snow with excessive weight can sometimes make the roofs collapse, snowstorms can weaken the sealants that hold the flashings and as snow melts and slides off of your roof, it can also take some shingles with it and cause granule loss. Apart from new damages, snow on your roof has the ability to make existing damages worse hence it is recommended to get an inspection and a maintenance done before the winters that will help prevent severe damages and save you from expensive repairs.
Severe weather will double up the damages to a roof whether it’s a windstorm, hailstorm, tornadoes or snowfall. All of the damages and causes listed above can be prevented and minimized by getting a free inspection with Herts Construction, we are one of the only companies in the state that specializes in insurance claims for natural disasters and will help you navigate through the claims process. Let’s work together to get your home back into its watertight state again.
