Hurricane Season Roof Prep

Check the Edges First

Roofs rarely fail in the middle. Wind finds a lifted edge — at the rake, the eave, or a ridge — gets underneath, and peels from there. Almost everything worth doing before a storm is about denying wind that first purchase.

• Lifted or missing shingles, especially along edges and ridges. Any shingle that moves in ordinary wind is a starting point in a storm.
• Flashing at chimneys, walls and valleys. Loose or lifted flashing is both a wind and a water problem.
• Pipe boots and vents. Rubber boots crack under Gulf Coast UV and are a very common leak origin.
• Gutters and downspouts. Clear and firmly attached — a loose gutter in high wind becomes a projectile and takes fascia with it.
• Overhanging limbs. Trim them back before the season, not during a watch.

None of this is exotic, and much of it is visible from the ground with binoculars. What it needs is doing early, because the window closes fast once a storm is named.

The Attic Tells You More Than the Roof

A great deal of useful information is visible from inside. Go up with a torch on a bright day and look for daylight through the decking, dark staining around penetrations, damp or compressed insulation, and any sign of rust on fasteners. Staining that is dry now still marks a path water has taken before and will take again.

While you are there, check ventilation. In this humidity a poorly ventilated attic degrades the roof from underneath year-round, quite apart from what any storm does.

In the Days Before a Named Storm

• Photograph the roof and property now. Pre-storm photographs are the single most useful thing you can have if you end up filing a claim — they establish the condition beforehand.
• Secure or bring in loose items. Furniture, bins and decorations become impact damage.
• Clear the gutters so the volume of water has somewhere to go.
• Find your policy and check the deductible that applies. Many Gulf Coast policies carry a separate wind, hail or named-storm deductible, often a percentage rather than a flat amount.
• Do not go up on the roof as weather closes in.

Afterwards, the insurance claim guide covers documentation and the claim process, and emergency roof repair covers tarping and urgent leaks.