Summer in Michigan can bring beautiful beach days and barbecues, but it can also trigger volatile severe weather. From fast-moving thunderstorms to sudden gale-force winds, a severe storm can compromise your roof in a matter of minutes. When the sky clears, knowing exactly what to do and what to look for in your roof can tell you how much damage has occurred and help you spot problems before they get worse.
If a severe storm just rolled through your neighborhood, use this step-by-step emergency checklist to assess the damage and take action.
Your Post-Storm Emergency Checklist
Missing shingles on roof due to storm damage.
When high winds, heavy rain or hail moves through your neighborhood, you might be unsure how much damage your roof has really taken, especially if you have an older roof. It can be hard to know what to look for, what signs indicate minor damage and what signs mean serious trouble. Our post-storm emergency checklist will help you assess the damage and make plans for the future in any situation.
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Step 1: Check the Interior First (Safest Priority)
The first step to assess the damage to your roof is to see if there is any damage inside your home. Before you even step outside, look for immediate red flags inside your living space. The point of your roof is to protect your home from the weather, so signs of damage inside can give you the best indication of where weak spots exist.
Water travels the path of least resistance, so look beyond just your ceilings. After or during a storm, rainwater may infiltrate through a weak spot in the roof and travel down along angles and planes. Joining points can be especially susceptible to leaks, such as flashing around chimneys, windows, vents, skylights and similar areas.
Take a look at these areas in your interior to see if water is coming through:
- Scan the Upper Ceilings: Check for active dripping, fresh water rings, or sagging drywall—especially around chimneys, light fixtures, and vents.
- Inspect the Attic: If you can safely access your attic, bring a flashlight to check the rafters and underlayment for damp spots or trickling water.
- Peeling Paint or Wallpaper: Water leaking down inside walls often manifests as bubbling paint or curling wallpaper near the top of a wall.
If you spot active moisture indoors, you need to catch it quickly. You can call our direct emergency repair team at 1-855-FIX-ROOF to deploy a team for an emergency tarp and dry-in.
Step 2: Conduct a Ground-Level Exterior Inspection
Never walk onto a wet, storm-damaged roof yourself. It is incredibly dangerous, especially if it’s unclear how solid (or not) your roof is. Once the storm clears, grab a pair of binoculars instead and step into your yard to inspect your roof safely from the ground.
- Look for Missing or Lifted Shingles: High winds can easily peel back old asphalt. Look for bare dark patches on your roof.
- Examine the Gutters: Look for sagging gutter troughs or large accumulations of shingle granules washed down the downspouts.
If you notice these signs, it doesn’t automatically mean that your roof is leaky or notably damaged. However, this is a good sign to double-check for moisture problems in your home. It’s also a good sign to call an expert to inspect your roof and take a closer look at the potential damage.
Step 3: Document the Damage Safely
Documentation is a critical step in your post-storm emergency checklist. This will not only help you talk with an expert about home repairs, but more importantly help you show evidence of the damage for insurance purposes.
If you see fallen tree limbs on your roof line, dented gutters, or shingles scattered across your lawn, grab your phone and start taking pictures. Take wide shots of your entire property as well as close-ups of the debris. If other trees, limbs, or debris have damaged other parts of your yard or property, document this as well. Comprehensive photo documentation will make it easier to file a claim with your homeowners insurance provider.
Step 4: Call a Licensed Local Roofer (Not a “Storm Chaser”)
Out-of-state “storm chasers” often flock to Michigan towns after severe weather, knocking on doors and offering cheap, fast fixes. Avoid them. They frequently use sub-par materials, lack proper state licensing, and vanish when their temporary fixes inevitably fail.
Quick fixes may stop water damage temporarily (though they might not), but often lead to more costly repairs later on. Properly repairing your roof means doing the job right, and ensuring that flashing, drip edges, eaves, underlayment, sheathing, and other components are properly installed and fit together seamlessly. If not, it can create penetration points for wind and moisture. Improperly installed or sealed shingles can allow wind to get underneath them and pull them backward, which in turn creates vulnerabilities in the other shingles nearby.
To make sure your repairs are done right, partner with a trusted local team that understands regional weather demands. Professional, reliable crews have the right licensing and insurance to get the job done right. If you’re wondering if a crew is reliable, looking up their licenses and asking about their insurance can be helpful. If you don’t get a clear answer or can’t find the information, they’re probably not a good bet. Consider local references as well, and ask about previous jobs. If the roofer can’t point to happy customers or tell you about recent jobs, it’s a red flag.
Our specialized regional offices can send a local crew directly to your home:
- Need fast help near the capital? Contact our Lansing roofing team.
- Dealing with wind damage in Jackson County? Connect with our Jackson roof repair crew.
- Facing a sudden leak in Calhoun County? Call our Battle Creek emergency roofers.
We’ve helped Michigan homeowners with urgent repairs since 1992
Call 1-855-FIX-ROOF (1-855-349-7663) today for immediate repairs
Our Post-Storm Emergency Procedure
When a storm actively compromises your home, timing matters. We’ve streamlined our storm response into a precise safety sequence to stop the damage before it spreads. If you’re wondering what our storm response looks like, or you’re feeling uncertain about the damage to your home after a storm, take a look at our speedy and reliable steps.
1. Establish Temporary Protection.
If your roof is damaged and water is coming in, we understand the urgency to act. When you request an urgent inspection, our primary objective is containment. Crews arrive to perform an emergency dry-in, securely tarping exposed areas to halt active leaks and shield your home from subsequent rainfall.
2. Perform a Diagnostic Inspection
The next step is to assess the damage, so we can recommend the right solution. We conduct a thorough, physical examination of the roof system. Our inspectors provide inspection findings, photos, and estimates to help document a claim. This way, you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision, and essential documentation to help your insurance carrier understand your claim and make coverage decisions.
3. Navigate the Insurance Documentation
Dealing with insurance adjusters can be exhausting. We provide professional, line-itemed estimates and clear photographic evidence to help you streamline the claim process.
4. Execute Permanent Restoration: Scheduled completion.
Once approved, our crews remove the temporary tarping and apply permanent repairs, whether replacing individual shingle valleys or restoring structural framing.
What to Do About Frequent Leaks
If you notice leaks keep happening around your home, especially if they’re occurring in different areas, it may be a sign that it’s time for a new roof. Working with reliable experts for repairs will stop the leak, but it won’t fix the entire roof. If your shingles are aging, your flashing is damaged, or the roof was improperly installed and the weak points are showing, leaks will keep happening. The best course of action is roof replacement, so you don’t have to keep addressing the same problem again and again.
If repeated summer storms keep tearing up your old shingles, it might be time to stop patching a failing system. Try our Instant Roof Quote tool to explore the cost of upgrading to a storm-resistant standing seam metal roof.
Don’t Let a Small Leak Turn Into a Massive Repair Bill
A small leak from last night’s storm can quickly cause water damage, mold, and even structural issues. Secure your peace of mind by getting a professional evaluation from a team that has protected Michigan homeowners since 1992.
Visit our dedicated 24/7 emergency roof repair page to submit an urgent service request online, or skip the wait and speak to a team member right now at 1-855-FIX-ROOF (1-855-349-7663).
