What to Do if Your Roof Is Blown Off
Cover the hole with a tarp to prevent more damage, then call your insurer. Wind damage is typically covered, minus your deductible.
Free to compare
After a tarp goes up, here's what decides your claim
Once the roof is covered and the water stopped, what you get back depends on a few things already set in your policy. Dwelling coverage pays to rebuild the roof itself, and a separate deductible applies to that payout. If your state sees a lot of hurricanes or hail, your policy may have a separate wind or hurricane deductible instead of the flat dollar amount you pay for other claims, and it's usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a fixed number. That can add up to more than you expect, so check your declarations page for how it's set. Photograph the damage before repairs start, keep the tarp receipt, and get repair estimates in before the adjuster visits.
A percentage deductible can cost more than you think
If your wind or hurricane deductible is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, the amount you owe before payout starts can run into thousands. Comparing policies now shows what you'd actually pay next time.
What happens between filing the claim and getting paid
After the adjuster's visit, the insurer puts together an estimate of what the repair should cost, using their own pricing and sometimes the same software contractors use. That estimate becomes the basis for your payout, so it's worth comparing it against the repair quotes you collected. If there's a gap, you can push back with photos, your own contractor's estimate, and a written explanation of what the adjuster's numbers missed. Insurers expect some negotiation on storm claims, especially when a whole neighborhood is filing at once and adjusters are moving fast.
For a roof total loss or a major tear-off, most policies pay in two parts. You get the actual cash value first, which is the repair cost minus depreciation for the roof's age and wear. Once the work is done and you submit receipts, you get a second payment called recoverable depreciation, bringing you up to the full replacement cost. If you stop at the first check, you leave money on the table. This only applies if your policy has replacement cost coverage on the dwelling, which most do, but check your declarations page to be sure.
Storm claims after a hurricane or a widespread outbreak take longer than an isolated claim. The insurer is handling thousands of claims at once, and yours is in line with the rest. Many states set a deadline for insurers to acknowledge your claim and start the investigation, and another for sending payment once it's approved. If you haven't heard back in a reasonable time, call and ask where things stand, and ask for the claim timeline your state requires in writing. Keep your own file of every call, every date, and every name. Storm claims sometimes stretch into disputes over scope or price, and that file is what you'll lean on.
If a tree from a neighbor's yard caused the damage, your own policy still pays first in most states. Your insurer may go after the neighbor's insurer afterward if their tree was diseased or neglected, but that happens behind the scenes. You don't need to sort out fault before filing. The same goes for damage that affects multiple parts of the house at once, like a roof and a fence and a detached garage. One claim can cover all of it, but each part may have its own deductible depending on how your policy is written.
What to do if the roof can't be repaired at all
Sometimes the damage isn't a hole or a tear-off. It's the whole structure. A tornado or a direct hurricane hit can take the roof down to the decking or peel it off completely. When that happens, the claim isn't just about shingles anymore. It's about whether the house is livable, and that changes what you should be doing in the first days after the storm.
If the house isn't safe to live in, most policies include additional living expenses, sometimes called loss of use. This pays for a hotel, a rental, meals above what you'd normally spend, and other costs of being displaced. It's separate from the roof repair itself, with its own limit, usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage or a set dollar cap. Ask about this when you first call, not after you've already paid for two weeks in a motel out of pocket. Keep every receipt. You'll submit them for reimbursement, and insurers want the paper trail.
A full roof loss also means the adjuster's estimate matters more, not less. Small claims leave less room for disagreement. A full tear-off and rebuild involves decking, underlayment, flashing, and sometimes structural framing if the trusses were damaged, and each of those line items can be priced high or low. Get your own contractor to walk the roof and write up what they'd charge before you agree to the insurer's number. If the two estimates are far apart, the gap is usually in the scope, not just the price. That means the adjuster missed something the contractor saw.
If the roof is a total loss and the house is old enough that code requires upgrades during a rebuild, like better venting or updated flashing standards, check whether your policy includes ordinance or law coverage. Standard dwelling coverage pays to put back what was there. It doesn't always pay for bringing the rest of the roof up to current code, and that gap can be a real cost if your roof predates newer building requirements. Your declarations page will say whether this coverage is included or whether it was offered and declined when the policy was written.
Before you call it done
Check your declarations page for how your wind or hurricane deductible is set, and confirm whether ordinance or law coverage is included. Those two lines decide what you actually collect.
