Claim Consultants Reports on The Most Common Types of Storm Damage

While storms can happen at any time of the year, the summer months are when they peak in both frequency and severity. These storms can damage your home with strong winds, debris or falling hail, and heavy rains. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can do to minimize storm damage as well as what damage to look for after the storm passes.

Hail Damage

Hail is perhaps one of the most destructive aspects of severe storms, accounting for almost 40% of all insured losses averaging $15 billion dollars per year¹. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot that homeowners can do to prevent hail damage aside from keep current on home maintenance and repairing any damage in preparation for the next storm.

After a hail storm, inspect your roof for dark marks on asphalt shingles. These will need to be inspected by a roofing professional to evaluate the damage. Any broken or cracked windows will need to be fixed or replaced, as well as siding, soffit, and fascia that appear to be damaged. While it may not be catastrophic, failing to fix even minor hail damage today can lead to more problems when the next storm rolls through.

Wind Damage

During moderate storms, winds can commonly reach speeds of 60 mph; more severe storms can touch wind speeds of 100 mph². The most common recipient of wind damage is your roof. While most shingles are rated to withstand at least 60 mph winds when new, they can blow off or break if they’ve been previously damaged and not repaired. This is why it’s important to inspect your roof regularly for missing or damaged shingles as they can be blown off by a storm’s damaging winds.

Flooding

Like wind damage, flooding damage is best mitigated by preparation as even small amounts of flooding can cause severe damage to roofs and basement foundations. To prevent this, regularly clean your gutters, ensure your storm drains are not blocked, check window wells and sump pumps, and seal any cracks in basement walls.

 Claim Consultants brings 50+ combined years of experience helping homeowners and businesses with commercial storm repair, residential storm repair, storm damage assessments, and help with the home owners’ insurance claims process,

¹ http://www.rmiia.org/catastrophes_and_statistics/Hail.asp

² http://sciencing.com/average-wind-speed-during-thunderstorm-24075.html

General sources for information:

http://innovativeroofs.com/quickly-identify-common-roof-storm-damage/

http://stormdamagecenter.org/identify-storm-damage.php