First 24 Hours After Hurricane Roof Damage

The storm has passed. The wind is gone. Now you are standing in your yard looking up at missing shingles, a ripped-off ridge cap, or a section of roof that looks wrong in a way you cannot quite name.

What you do in the next 24 hours affects both how much further damage your home takes and how cleanly your insurance claim gets paid. This guide walks through the steps in order.

Step 1 Document before you touch anything

Before moving debris, before calling anyone, take photos and video. Walk the exterior of the house from a safe distance and photograph every angle of the roof. If you can do it safely from ground level, get close-ups of any obvious damage areas. Do not get on the roof yourself.

Insurance adjusters pay close attention to documentation timestamps. Photos taken on the day of the storm, before any tarping or cleanup, establish that the damage was caused by the named storm and not pre-existing. A phone photo with GPS data and a timestamp is worth more to your claim than any verbal description later.

Photograph the interior too: any ceilings, walls, or floors showing water intrusion. Take the photos before you move furniture or put down towels.

Step 2 Open your insurance claim immediately

Do not wait to see how bad the damage is before calling your carrier. Under Florida Statute 627.70132, you have one year from the date of loss to file a claim for hurricane or windstorm damage. That sounds like a long time, but claim queues after major storms are long, adjusters get booked out, and the sooner your claim is in the system the sooner you get an adjuster assigned.

Call your carrier's claims line directly, not your local agent. Have your policy number ready. Give them the date of loss (the storm date), a general description of what you can see, and confirm you are requesting an adjuster visit. Coastline can help with roof insurance claim documentation if you need a contractor's written report before or during the adjuster visit.

Step 3 Get emergency tarping done quickly

If there is an opening in your roof, interior damage starts within hours. Mold can begin within 24 to 48 hours in Florida's humidity. Emergency tarping stops the water intrusion and limits the damage you are responsible for mitigating.

Most homeowner's policies in Florida cover the cost of emergency tarping as part of a covered loss. Save every receipt.

Call a licensed roofing contractor for tarping, not an unlicensed tarp company or a general handyman. Florida requires a license for roofing work. An unlicensed contractor cannot pull a permit, and work done by an unlicensed contractor can complicate your insurance claim. Coastline Roofing handles storm damage roof repair and is available 24/7 for emergency tarping: (941) 896-7793.

Step 4 Do not sign an Assignment of Benefits

Florida SB 2D, signed in 2022, banned Assignment of Benefits (AOB) for residential property insurance claims. AOBs are no longer legal for new property insurance policies issued after July 1, 2023. However, some contractors still present documents with similar language under different names, such as "authorization to perform work" clauses that contain assignment language in fine print.

Before signing anything with a contractor beyond a standard work authorization, read it with your insurance carrier or an attorney. You are not obligated to sign anything that transfers your claim rights. Your carrier must pay you directly for covered losses.

Step 5 Keep all receipts for mitigation costs

Tarping, water extraction, temporary board-up, or any other work you pay out of pocket to prevent further damage is generally reimbursable under your policy as "mitigation costs." Keep every receipt, invoice, and payment record. Submit them to your adjuster with your claim documentation.

Do not throw away damaged materials until the adjuster has seen them. Photographs are helpful, but physical evidence of torn-off shingles, damaged decking, or broken flashing gives the adjuster a clearer picture of the scope.

Step 6 Get a contractor's written damage assessment before the adjuster arrives

Insurance adjusters are not always roofing experts, and they are working through dozens of claims after a major storm. Their initial estimates sometimes miss damage that a roofing contractor would catch immediately: damaged underlayment, lifted flashing, cracked ridge caps, or deck damage visible only from inside the attic.

A licensed contractor's written damage report, produced before the adjuster visit, gives you documentation to counter any low-ball scope. If the adjuster's estimate misses a significant item, you have a written contractor assessment to point to during the negotiation.

One more Florida-specific note: ACV vs. RCV

Under Florida Statute 627.7011(5), carriers may limit payment to Actual Cash Value (depreciated) rather than Replacement Cost Value if your roof is more than 10 years old and made of certain materials. ACV means the settlement reflects the age and remaining useful life of your roof, not the full cost to replace it.

If your roof is over 10 years old, ask your carrier specifically: "Is my roof covered at ACV or RCV?" The answer changes how you should approach the repair-vs-replacement decision. A partial ACV payment on a 15-year-old roof may not cover a full replacement, but knowing that before the adjuster visit helps you advocate for the right scope.