Blue tarps on several roofs along a North Texas street after a severe storm

Storm Damage to Your Roof: What Counts and What to Do

Storm damage is harm a single weather event did to the roof: hail bruises, wind-torn shingles, a limb through the deck. Here is how to tell it from old age, and a plain timeline for what to do next.

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What counts as storm damage

Storm damage to a roof is harm caused by a particular weather event: hail that bruised shingles or dented metal, wind that lifted, creased or tore shingles away, or a tree limb or flying debris that cracked or punched through the roof. Damage that built up slowly, such as sun-baked shingles that curl, brittle sealant around a pipe, or a roof that simply reached the end of its life, is wear, not storm damage.

The difference matters twice. It tells a roofer whether a repair or a full replacement makes sense, and it shapes whether a homeowners claim makes sense at all. Insurers generally look for sudden damage tied to a date, so knowing when the storm hit and what it left behind is the first thing to write down.

North Texas gives people plenty of practice. The EF3 tornado that crossed North Dallas on October 20, 2019, the December 26, 2015 tornado through Sunnyvale, Garland and Rowlett, and the April 11, 2016 hailstorm that the National Weather Service says affected about 80 percent of homes in Wylie all left whole streets of damaged roofs behind.

Large oak limb lying across the roof of a brick ranch home after a storm, with wet pavement in front

Storm damage or old age? Signs side by side

You can spot many of these from the ground or the attic. Leave anything on the roof surface to a roofer.

What you notice	Often points to	Where to look safely
Dings in gutters, downspouts, metal vents or the AC unit's fins	Hail; the dents help show stone size	Walk around the house at ground level
Shingles or shingle pieces on the lawn, bare patches on a slope	Wind	From the yard or across the street
Ridge caps folded back or missing	Wind	From the street with a phone's zoom
A limb resting on the roof, a dented or cracked line in the roofline	Impact from trees or debris	From the ground only; stay clear of hanging limbs
A new ceiling stain or drip right after the storm	An opening made by the storm	Inside, below the stain
Handfuls of coarse granules at downspout outlets	Hail, or an aging roof shedding grit; a roofer can tell which	At the bottom of each downspout
Shingles curled at the edges, cracked across, or worn smooth everywhere	Age and heat rather than one storm	From the yard

Hail damage on shingles is often invisible from below. Bruises, cracked mats and loosened granules can sit right next to undamaged shingles and only show up on a close inspection. That is one reason to get a roofer's opinion even when the roof looks fine from the driveway, especially after a storm that dented cars or siding nearby.

After the storm: hour, day, week, month

Most of what goes wrong after a DFW storm comes from rushing the wrong step or skipping a dull one. Work through this in order.

The first hour: people first

Stay inside until the storm has fully passed; another cell may follow the first.
Keep away from downed or sagging power lines and anything touching them. Report them to Oncor or your electric provider, or call 911.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 from outside.
Inside, move furniture and electronics out from under drips, set out buckets and towels, and do not let anyone stand under a ceiling that bulges.
Stay off the roof and leave the ladder in the garage.

The first day: record and report

Note the date and time the storm hit and the size of any hail you saw. A photo of stones next to a coin or ruler helps.
Photograph the roof from the ground, the yard debris, dents in gutters and vents, and every stain, drip and wet spot inside.
Call your insurer and write down the claim number and the name of the person you spoke with.
Call a roofer to look at the roof and, if it is open, to cover it.

The first week: protect and compare

Have a roofer tarp any opening. TDI tells homeowners to make temporary repairs that prevent more damage and to keep the receipts, but to hold off on permanent repairs until the insurer has seen the damage.
Meet the adjuster, ideally with your roofer present, and ask for a copy of the adjuster's estimate.
Get a second written estimate if the first roofer's scope seems thin or the price seems far off.
Check any company that knocked on your door before signing anything.

The first month: decide and finish

Compare the insurer's estimate with the roofer's line by line and ask the insurer about anything missing.
Confirm the permit your city requires. In Dallas, replacing large areas or the whole roof needs a re-roof permit; a tarp and minor roof repairs do not.
You owe the deductible: pay it, keep proof, and get the deductible notice in any insurance-funded contract of $1,000 or more.
Keep the final invoice, permit sign-off and warranty papers together with your claim file.

Keeping the damage from spreading

Water stain on a living room ceiling with a bucket on the floor below and furniture covered in plastic

Insurers expect homeowners to take reasonable steps so a storm problem does not turn into a bigger one. In practice that means two things you can do and one you should hire out.

What you can do: catch the water and protect what is under it. Buckets, towels and plastic sheeting over furniture cost little and save a lot. If a ceiling bulges with water, keep people and pets out of that room and away from light fixtures in it.

What to hire out: covering the roof. A roofer can put a tarp over the damaged area and fasten it so wind does not tear it loose. Ask for an itemized receipt that lists the tarp work separately; it belongs in your claim file. The City of Dallas states that a tarp or similar temporary measure needs no permit, so it can go on right away.

Then leave the permanent repair until the adjuster has looked, as TDI advises. If water got into walls, insulation or flooring, tell the insurer that as well; wet materials can cause problems long after the roof is fixed.

Leave the roof to the roofer. A wet or storm-hit roof is slippery, and damaged decking can give way, so keep off it and keep the ladder put away. Stay clear of any downed power line and report it to Oncor or your local electric utility, or call 911. Inside, pull furniture and electronics away from the drip, set out a bucket or towels, and keep everyone out of a room where the ceiling is sagging. Take photos from the yard and from inside, then call your insurance company and a roofer.

Door knockers and storm chasers

After a big hail day in DFW, crews from other places often show up quickly, and some move on once the work dries up. Plenty of door-to-door roofers do honest work, but the pitch often moves fast. Slow it down.

Ask for the city permit

Several DFW cities make door-to-door sellers carry a permit. McKinney requires one any time someone solicits in the city, good for six months. Saginaw requires a permit and badge, respects No Soliciting signs, and limits hours to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April to October and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November to March. Check your own city's rules.

Know your three days

The Texas Attorney General explains that, in many cases, you can back out of a contract signed at your door for three business days afterward, and that the seller must inform you of this right. Never let anyone rush you past it, and never sign a blank or half-filled form.

Watch the money

After a declared disaster, Business and Commerce Code Chapter 58 bars a contractor that has not kept a physical business address in your county, or a neighboring one, for at least a year from requiring payment before work begins. Do not sign your insurance check over to anyone, and turn away anyone who offers to absorb the deductible.

Your deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that a contractor may not waive your deductible, rebate it, or pad the estimate to cover it, and that a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you owe the deductible. Your insurer may ask for proof you paid it. A contractor also may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on. If a roofer offers to "take care of" the deductible, hire someone else.

Your storm file: what to keep

A shoebox or a folder on your phone works. What matters is that nothing gets thrown away until the claim is closed and the roof is finished.

Photos and video from the day of the storm and the days after, with dates
Claim number, adjuster's name and contact, and notes from every call
Receipts for tarps, buckets, plastic, water removal and any hotel stay
Every written estimate, from your roofer and from the insurer
The signed contract, the permit number and the final invoice
Proof you paid the deductible, which your insurer may ask for
Shingle warranty registration and the roofer's workmanship warranty

The free hail claim checklist puts these on one printable page.

Homeowner on a phone call on the front porch of a brick home on a quiet tree-lined street

Shingles in the yard, a limb on the roof, or a new stain after last night's storm? Call the free line at any hour. The automated assistant asks what happened and transfers you to an independent local roofing company that can come out, cover an opening and write up the damage.

Call (469) 649-7066

How the free line helps after a storm

Dial the lineAn automated assistant picks up (469) 649-7066 any time and asks what you need. The same number also takes air conditioning, heating and pressure washing calls, so say "roof".
Tell it about the roofHail, a drip in the ceiling, shingles in the yard, a tree limb, or an aging roof you want checked, plus your town and how soon you need someone.
Get transferredThe call goes to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in Dallas-Fort Worth. It hears a quick summary of your call before it answers.
Work with that companyIt inspects, prices and does the job, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot pick up, it gets your name, number, town and need so it can call you back.

No state license for roofers. Texas does not license roofing contractors. A 2025 bill that would have had the state license re-roofers (HB 3344) cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote, and it died when the session ended. That puts the checking on you: ask for a certificate of liability insurance sent to you by the roofer's insurance agent or insurer, a written contract that lists the full scope, the permit or contractor registration your city requires, addresses of nearby jobs, and proof the shingle warranty was registered. The line does none of this checking for you. How to check a roofer in Texas.

About this line: DFW Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

Next steps

Storm help across DFW towns

After-storm questions from DFW homeowners

What is considered storm damage on a roof?

It means harm one particular storm did, as opposed to wear that built up over years. Common examples in North Texas: hail bruises and granule loss on shingles, dents in metal vents and gutters, shingles creased, lifted or torn off by wind, ridge caps peeled back, and punctures from falling limbs or debris. Curling, cracking and bald shingles on an old roof usually point to age instead. A roofer's inspection and your policy's wording decide how a claim treats it.

How soon after a storm should I call my insurance company?

As soon as everyone is safe and you have photos. Delays make it harder to tie damage to one storm, and most policies set a filing deadline; TDI notes that some give you one year unless you can show good cause for the delay. Once you report, Texas law gives the insurer set deadlines to respond. The Texas roof insurance claim guide covers those deadlines and how payment is figured.

Do I have to let a door-to-door roofer inspect my roof?

No. You can say no thank you, ask for a business card and close the door. Some DFW cities require door-to-door sellers to carry a permit; McKinney and Saginaw both do, so you can ask to see it. If you sign a contract at your door, Texas generally gives you three business days to cancel, and the seller must tell you about that right. Check any roofer before you hire one.

Should I cover the roof with a tarp myself?

No. A storm-damaged roof can be slick, loose or weakened underneath, and a fall from that height can kill. Have a roofer put the tarp on and keep the receipt for your insurer. Indoors, catch drips, move belongings and keep people out of rooms with a sagging ceiling. In Dallas, a tarp needs no city permit.

Is a leak from a storm always covered by insurance?

Not always. Coverage depends on your policy, your deductible, whether the roof was already worn, and how the water got in. Rising water from outside is flood damage, and FEMA notes that standard homeowners policies do not cover flooding; that takes a separate flood policy. Ask your insurer how it would treat the specific damage before assuming either way.

Storm just passed over your street? Call the free line

Say what the roof is doing and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes you to an independent roofing company that is locally owned and works in DFW. That company comes out, looks at the roof and prices the job itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Picks up day or nightStorms here often hit in the evening. The assistant answers at 2 a.m. the same as at noon.
Costs you nothingThe line sends no bill. Any price you hear comes from the roofer, and you can ask for it on paper.
Check before you hireTexas issues no roofing license, so ask for an insurance certificate, a written contract and the permit your city requires.
Your call to makeListen to what the roofer found, read the estimate, and say yes only when it adds up.