If you own a home in Tennessee, it’s important to know what to do when severe weather hits. The steps you take after heavy rain, flooding, hail, high winds, a tornado, or winter snow and ice storms are crucial for protecting your home from further damage and ensuring any potential insurance claim is handled correctly.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Necessary safety measures to take before assessing your property for damage
- What to look for (including subtle signs that are often overlooked but may indicate your home experienced storm damage)
- How to document storm damage and navigate the insurance claims process
- When to use temporary repairs and when it is best to call a professional contractor
- Why a professional storm damage assessment is necessary to protect your home from hidden damage and ensure proper documentation that your insurer will rely on to determine coverage.
What To Do Immediately After a Storm
When a storm passes through Tennessee, you should safely look for signs of damage, document what you find, and schedule a professional storm damage assessment before contacting your insurance provider. Doing this helps prevent small issues from turning into bigger problems and reduces the risk of your claim being denied or underpaid.
A careful, step-by-step approach helps reduce risk, prevent further damage, and ensure you have the correct information if repairs or insurance conversations follow.
Step One: Ensure It Is Safe to Assess Your Home
Never leave your safe location or go outside until the storm has fully passed and all storm warnings have expired. Once conditions are stable, there are a few recommended safety checks to complete before you begin assessing your home for damage.
- Shut off power if necessary: If you suspect flooding, electrical damage, or exposed wiring, and you can do so safely, turn off the main breaker at your electrical panel. If there is standing water near the panel, do not touch or get near it. Contact your utility company or a licensed electrician.
- Leave immediately if you smell gas: If you smell the rotten-egg odor of gas, the Tennessee Department of Health advises you not to touch switches, appliances, or gas valves. Leave the home immediately and contact your gas company or 911 from a safe location.
- Scan the area for hazards: Take a careful look around for environmental dangers, such as broken glass or sharp debris, loosened gutters, materials that could fall, unstable trees or heavy branches, branches resting on power lines, or downed or damaged electrical lines.
If branches are cracked, leaning, or touching power lines, contact a professional tree service. Do not attempt removal yourself. Stay well clear of live wires and report damaged power lines to your local utility provider immediately.
Step Two: Check Your Property From the Ground
After you have confirmed it is safe, you can check the outside of your home to assess for damage. Only do this from the ground. Never attempt to climb onto the roof, even if the damage looks minor. Damaged roofs can be unstable, slippery, and unsafe to walk on.
Wear sturdy shoes, gloves, and weather-appropriate clothing, and don’t forget to bring your phone or a camera, along with something to take notes on. You will need to thoroughly document any irregularity or change in your home’s appearance.
Start by looking around your yard and exterior structures.
Debris such as tree limbs, scattered shingles, or broken building materials are strong indicators that your roof or other parts of your home may have been affected, even if damage is not immediately visible.
As you reach the house, look closely for visible signs of exterior damage, such as:
- Missing or lifted shingles
- Piles of shingle granules near gutters or downspouts
- Dents on gutters, vents, or flashing
- Fallen branches or debris resting on the roof
- Broken siding, damaged fencing, or displaced outdoor items
Pay close attention to areas that may need temporary emergency repairs right away, such as water entering your home, broken windows, damaged doors, or roof leaks.
Step Three: Inspect the Inside of Your Home
When evaluating the interior of your home for storm damage, go room by room. If safe, open all doors, look inside closets, and check under sinks and inside cabinets. Water often travels along beams and pipes, showing up in unexpected places.
Aside from obvious damage, as you move through your home, look closely for:
- Ceilings and walls with water stains, bubbling paint, or soft spots
- Attic spaces with damp insulation, wet wood, or daylight showing through the roof
- Moisture around chimneys, skylights, and roof vents
- Leaks or drafts around windows and exterior doors
- Damaged furniture, flooring, electronics, or personal belongings
Just like the outside of your home, take pictures of everything you see. After documenting everything, separate items that pose health or safety risks, such as soaked carpeting or moldy materials. Check with your insurance adjuster before permanently discarding damaged personal property, as they may need to inspect the items in person to verify your loss. If items must be moved for safety reasons, store them in a garage or an outdoor area.
Pro Tip: Interior water damage isn’t always immediate. Moisture can slowly work through roofing layers before becoming visible. Continue monitoring the interior of your home over the next few weeks, especially after the next rainfall.
How Do I Document Storm Damage for Insurance?
After a storm, the goal is to create a clear record of what happened, when it happened, and the extent of the damage.
Key insurance documentation requirements include
- Documentation of the storm: Write down the date, approximate time, and type of storm that occurred. If possible, save local weather alerts or reports confirming wind speed, hail, or severe weather conditions.
- Photos and videos of damage: Photograph and video both structural damage and any affected personal property. Make sure images are clear, well-lit, captured from multiple angles, and, if possible, timestamped.
- A list of damaged or lost belongings: Include each item, where it was located, the condition before the storm, and what happened to it. If possible, add approximate purchase dates and values.
It is also helpful to gather samples of damaged materials. The type and quality of building materials can influence how an insurance claim is evaluated.
You should also save itemized receipts for any purchases of cleanup supplies or items used to make temporary repairs, for any hotel stays, or for any other storm-related expenses. Depending on your policy, some of these costs may be reimbursable.
Should I File an Insurance Claim Immediately?
You should check your policy for deadlines and file a storm damage claim as soon as possible, but it is usually best to have a professional contractor experienced in storm damage evaluate your home first.
They will be able to verify what was actually damaged, explain the potential repair scope, and help you decide whether filing a claim makes financial sense.
Step Four: Make Temporary Repairs
Some storm damage needs immediate attention to prevent further problems. Often, you can handle simple protective measures safely on your own. For example, if you can do so without risk, cover broken windows with plywood or plastic, place buckets under ceiling drips, and use tarps to protect exposed areas until help arrives.
However, other situations require professional assistance. If damage goes beyond simple temporary protection, such as electrical hazards, HVAC issues, plumbing leaks, or anything that affects the roof or structure of your home, contact the appropriate licensed professional.
You should never attempt to repair these types of storm damage on your own. They may require specialized training, proper tools, and knowledge of building codes. Incorrect repairs can create bigger issues, void warranties, or complicate insurance coverage.
Step Five: Schedule a Professional Storm Damage Assessment
A professional storm damage assessment is a comprehensive inspection performed by a licensed contractor to identify structural compromises, roof leaks, and hidden damage that may not be visible to the homeowner.
Even if you feel confident in your own findings, homeowner assessments are only a starting point. Storm damage can hide beneath shingles, behind siding, and inside roof structures.
These small issues often become costly repairs if left unnoticed. A qualified specialist serves as an experienced second set of eyes, making sure nothing is overlooked and that potential problems are evaluated correctly before decisions are made.
What Happens During a Professional Storm Damage Assessment and Why It Matters
A professional storm assessment is more than a quick glance at home. It is a structured inspection designed to identify visible and hidden damage, document findings in a way insurers recognize, and outline the safest plan for repairs moving forward.
During a professional storm damage assessment, a trained specialist can:
1: Find Damage You Might Not Notice
Sometimes storm damage is subtle, not noticeable to an untrained eye, or not visible from the ground.
A qualified storm damage contractor has the training, equipment, and experience to inspect areas homeowners can’t safely access and recognize problems that may develop into future leaks. It is important to have this level of evaluation because certain types of roof and exterior damage worsen slowly rather than all at once.
It is not uncommon for hidden storm damage to go unnoticed for weeks or months. Identifying it early protects your home and supports accurate insurance documentation if a claim is filed.
2: Ensure Proper Insurance Documentation
Clear documentation is one of the most critical parts of a storm damage assessment. Insurance carriers rely heavily on written reports, photos, and measurements to determine whether damage is covered and how repairs should be handled.
Experienced roofing and construction professionals know how to document storm damage in a way that aligns with insurance review standards.
Your contractor can:
- Review the photos and videos you already took
- Take additional photos and videos from the roof or other areas you can’t or should not attempt to access
- Record measurements, material types, and impacted sections
- Create a structured inspection report that clearly explains the findings
This level of detail reduces back-and-forth with your insurer and helps prevent legitimate storm damage from being dismissed as wear and tear. It also ensures everything is organized before the adjuster arrives.
3: Help Determine Whether a Claim Is Necessary
Sometimes repairs cost less than your deductible, and in other cases, the damage is cosmetic rather than structural.
A qualified contractor can evaluate the full extent of the storm’s impact across your home and help you decide whether a storm damage insurance claim is appropriate or whether minor repairs may be the better option.
This saves time, avoids unnecessary claims on your record, and ensures claims are filed only when they are likely to be approved.
Step Six: Contact Your Insurance Company
Once a contractor has documented your storm damage and determined that it is likely to qualify for coverage under your policy, you should contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
To ensure your storm damage claim is processed accurately, follow these industry best practices:
Best Practices for the Insurance Claims Process After Storm Damage
- Gather documentation: Have photos, videos, written notes, and your professional inspection report ready before calling your insurance provider.
- File promptly: Call your insurance provider’s claims department to open a claim as soon as damage is confirmed and your professional report is complete. Provide your documentation and explain what the contractor found. Share copies of inspection notes, photos, and any receipts for temporary repairs.
- Schedule your inspection: Your insurance company will assign a claims adjuster to inspect the property. Try to schedule the visit as soon as possible, especially if more rain or severe weather is expected.
- Have your contractor present during the adjuster inspection: Ask the same contractor who performed your storm assessment to be there during your home inspection to point out technical or hidden damage and help ensure the full scope of repairs is understood.
- Review estimates: Compare the insurance estimate with your contractor’s findings to ensure all required components and local building codes are covered.
- Keep everything organized: Save emails, claim numbers, reports, receipts, and conversation notes in one place.
To learn more, read “Your Guide to Insurance Claims for Your Roof.”
Choose a Middle Tennessee Storm Damage Partner You Can Trust
Storms are part of living in Middle Tennessee, but navigating what comes afterward doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
One of the best ways to be prepared is to choose your storm damage partner before you ever need one. Not only does this save valuable time during a stressful situation, but it also helps you avoid “storm chasers” who show up after severe weather, pressure homeowners into quick decisions, and then disappear after doing poor or incomplete work.
Austermiller Roofing and Construction has served Tennessee homeowners for more than 30 years, guiding families through every stage of storm restoration, from inspection and documentation to emergency roofing services, roof repairs, roof replacement, and long-term protection.
Be sure to keep our phone number somewhere easy to find so when severe weather hits, you already know who to call. Or, if you already suspect storm damage, contact us today to schedule a professional storm damage assessment.