What to do after hail or wind damage in East Tennessee: a step-by-step guide

The storm is over, the power is back on, and there is a truck with out-of-state plates already parked in your neighbor’s driveway. What you do in the next two days determines whether this turns into a straightforward repair or a two-year headache. This guide is the order of operations we would give a family member.

One thing to say up front, since this site is published by a roofing company: Brian King Roofing does not file insurance claims, chase storms, or work on contingency contracts. The advice here is about protecting your house and your policy, not about getting you to sign with anyone.

Step 1: Make the house safe (same day)

• If water is coming in, put a bucket under it, poke a small hole in a bulging ceiling to drain it before it collapses, and move anything valuable.
• If shingles or decking are missing, get a tarp over the opening. Most local roofers will do an emergency tarp for a few hundred dollars, and your policy almost always covers reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Keep the receipt.
• Stay off a wet roof. Every spring someone in East Tennessee is seriously hurt falling off a roof the day after a storm, and the roof was not going anywhere.
• Check for downed power lines near the house before you walk the yard.

Step 2: Document everything before cleanup (day 1 to 2)

Insurance adjusters and contractors both need to see what the storm did, not what the yard looked like after you raked it.

Take photos, with your phone’s date stamp on, of:

• The whole house from each side
• Any visible roof damage from the ground, zoomed in
• Dents in gutters, downspouts, vent caps, metal flashing, and the fins of your AC condenser
• Torn window screens, chipped paint, and dented siding
• Shredded leaves, stripped bark, and hail on the ground with a coin or tape measure for scale
• Interior stains, wet insulation, and any water in the attic
• Debris: branches, shingle pieces, and anything that blew in from elsewhere

Then write down the date and approximate time of the storm. You can confirm it later with the National Weather Service’s storm reports or the NOAA Storm Events Database, which list hail size and wind gusts reported by county. Adjusters use the same data.

Step 3: Check the “soft metals” and the obvious spots yourself

You do not need to get on the roof to know whether you probably have damage. Hail that is big enough to hurt shingles leaves marks on softer things first:

• Gutters and downspouts: dimples on the top surface
• Vent caps and turbine vents: dents
• AC condenser fins: flattened areas
• Window screens: small tears
• Decks and painted surfaces: chipped spots
• Mailbox, grill lid, car hood: dings

If none of those show anything, the roof is probably fine. If several do, assume the roof took hits and move to Step 4.

For wind, look for shingles in the yard, lifted or creased shingles along the ridge and edges, and missing ridge cap. Wind damage often shows up as a few tabs flipped back, which from the ground looks like a dark patch.

Step 4: Get a written inspection from a local, licensed roofer (week 1)

This is the step that protects you from both directions: from filing a claim you did not need to and from accepting a denial you should not have.

What you want is a company with a Tennessee address and license you can look up at verify.tn.gov, that will put the findings in writing with photos, and that will tell you plainly if the roof is fine. A good inspection report includes:

• Photos of each roof slope with damage marked
• A count of hail hits per test square (adjusters often use a 10-by-10-foot square)
• Wind-creased or missing shingles identified by location
• Collateral damage (the soft metals above)
• The age and condition of the roof apart from the storm
• A written estimate for repair, replacement, or both

A roof that is 22 years old with a few hail bruises and a roof that is 4 years old with a few hail bruises are different situations. The first one may be at the end of its life regardless, and the second one may be a $600 repair. The report should help you see which one you have.

Step 5: Decide whether to file

Filing a claim is a financial decision. Three questions settle it:

1. Does the documented damage clearly exceed my deductible? Many Tennessee policies now carry a separate wind and hail deductible of 1 or 2 percent of the dwelling coverage. On a home insured for $400,000 that is $4,000 to $8,000 before the insurer pays anything. Your declarations page shows which deductible you have. If the repair estimate is $2,500, there is no claim to make.
2. Is this damage, or is this an old roof? Insurance pays for sudden damage from a covered event, not for a roof that was already worn out. An adjuster will say so if it is the latter, and the claim will sit on your record anyway.
3. How does my policy pay? Replacement cost (RCV) policies pay to replace the roof, usually in two checks: actual cash value up front and the depreciation after the work is done. Actual cash value (ACV) policies, and roof “schedules” that some Tennessee carriers have added, pay a depreciated amount based on the roof’s age, which on a 15-year-old roof may be half or less of the replacement cost. Your agent can tell you in one phone call which kind you have.

If the answers are “yes, clearly,” “damage,” and “replacement cost,” file. If any answer is shaky, get a second local opinion before you do.

Step 6: Filing and the adjuster visit (weeks 1 to 4)

• Call your agent or the carrier’s claims line, give the date of loss, and describe the damage. Do not guess at the cause or the cost; just report what you documented.
• The carrier will assign an adjuster, who will schedule a visit. Ask your roofer whether they are willing to be there; many local companies will meet the adjuster to point out what they found, without taking over the claim.
• The adjuster writes a scope: what is covered and the amount. Read it. It should list the roof slopes, the number of squares, and line items for tear-off, shingles, underlayment, flashing, and so on.
• If the adjuster’s scope misses items your roofer documented, your roofer can provide a supplement request with photos. This is normal and is not an argument.
• If the claim is denied and you believe the roof is damaged, you can request a re-inspection, ask for the denial in writing, and file a complaint with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance if the carrier is not responding within the required timelines. Tennessee’s unfair claims settlement rules (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0780-01-05) require an insurer to acknowledge your claim within 30 days and to accept or deny it within 60 days of receiving your completed proof of loss, or to tell you in writing why it needs more time and update you every 60 days after that.

Step 7: Choose the contractor and schedule the work

You choose the contractor. The insurance check is yours (and your mortgage company’s, if they are on the policy). Use the vetting checklist on our Find a Roofer page: license, insurance certificates, local address, written itemized quote, manufacturer certification, and references. Then schedule. After a widespread storm, expect every local roofer to be booked for weeks; that is a reason to be patient, not a reason to sign with the first truck that shows up.

A short version to tape to the fridge

1. Safe house, tarp the leak, keep receipts.
2. Photos of everything, dated, before cleanup.
3. Check gutters, vents, AC fins, and screens for dents.
4. Written inspection from a local, licensed roofer.
5. Compare the estimate to your deductible and your policy type.
6. File if it clearly makes sense; be at the adjuster visit; read the scope.
7. Hire the contractor you chose, not the one who chose you.