Storm damage
Central Texas storms are getting stronger. Here’s how to respond calmly and correctly.
What storm damage actually looks like, when to file a claim, and how insurance decides.
Same-day response · No obligation.
Four kinds of storm damage
Hail damage
Functional bruising fractures the shingle mat; cosmetic marks don’t. See our full hail damage guide for how to tell them apart.
Wind damage
Lifted or torn shingles, missing ridge caps, and displaced flashings. Central Texas straight-line winds regularly exceed 60 mph.
Tree damage
Impact from limbs, punctures in decking, and rubbed granule loss on branches touching the roof.
Wind-driven rain
Water pushed sideways under shingles at edges and around penetrations — often no visible external damage.
Hail is its own subject.
Hail size thresholds, functional versus cosmetic damage, repair-or-replace math, and how a Texas hail claim actually proceeds are covered in depth on a dedicated page.
Read the Hail Damage Roof Repair guideInsurance timeline
What to do — and when
- First 24 hoursDocument everything with dated photos. Cover active leaks with a tarp — see emergency roof repair and tarping for what to do in the first hour. Do not sign any contractor’s paperwork yet.
- First weekCall an independent, licensed roofer for an inspection. Get a written damage report before calling insurance.
- First 30 daysFile your claim if damage is functional (not cosmetic). Most Texas policies require notice within a reasonable time.
- Notice and filing deadlinesTwo clocks start at the date of loss: your policy’s notice provision, commonly one year but varying by carrier and form, and the two-year limitations period Texas law sets for suing an insurer. Check your policy language and report promptly — evidence disappears fast.
Storm & insurance FAQs
There are two different clocks, and they get conflated constantly. Your policy has its own notice provision — Texas policies generally require prompt notice of a loss, and many specify a window that is commonly one year from the date of loss, though it varies by carrier and policy form. Separately, Texas law sets a two-year limitations period for filing suit against an insurer on a claim. Neither number is a universal rule. Either way the advice is the same: report promptly, because both clocks start at the date of loss and evidence weathers away. Read your specific policy or call us — we’ll interpret the language with you.
Get an independent inspection. Adjusters typically spend 20 minutes on a roof and often miss soft damage. If our engineer disagrees, we can be on the roof with the adjuster during a re-inspection and present evidence.
We can’t legally negotiate on your behalf (that’s called public adjusting), but we meet the adjuster on your roof, document damage professionally, and provide detailed reports that make approvals dramatically more likely.
Just had a storm?
We’ll inspect, document, and give you a straight answer on whether a claim makes sense.