Storm Damage: We Are Here To Help
Storm Season Is Here
It is officially storm season here in Iowa. Thunderstorms, hail, and high winds are all sorts of weather we will be expecting this Summer. All of these can cause some critical damage to your home and ignoring it is a very dangerous game that can lead to many problems down the road. We know it is a devastating time when storms hit your Iowa home but we are here to help with what to do if you experience damages to your gutters, roof, siding, or any other part of your home.
First Steps: Identifying Damage
Depending on what type of storms we get can damage your home in different ways. Hailstones travel at a much faster speed than raindrops because of its weigh-adding size. Upon impact on the exterior part of your home; hail can create huge dents and cracks. Strong winds that typically accompany storms can cause shingles to crack, bend, or fly off, leaving your roof and the interior of your home vulnerable to leaks or further damage. The first step to do after a storm is to inspect your home.
On your roof look for:
- Missing pieces of asphalt or cracks in your shingles
- Small dents in metal flashing, valleys, and roof vents
- Look for the black substrate in your shingles
When inspecting your gutters look for:
- Dents in your gutters, downspouts, LeafGuard®, and screens or toppers
- Sagging or gapping gutters
- Stains on your siding. This is a sign your gutters are leaking onto the side of your home.
On your siding look for:
- Look for dents
- Look in between siding for any significant gaps or unequal gapping across the layers of your siding.
- Buckling or wrapping is a common sign that your siding is damaged.
- Run your hand along with the siding and look for chalky residue left on your hand, if so this is a sign of oxidation.
Contacting Your Insurance Agent
Immediately contact your insurance agent to find out:
- Whether the damage is covered under the terms of your policy
- How long you have to file a claim
- Whether your claim exceeds your deductible
- How long it will take to process the claim
- Whether you’ll need estimates for repairs
They will give you all the information to take the next steps in filing a claim. An adjuster will come out to your home to assess the damage. Before they come out it is very important to have as much information about your damaged possessions.
- Prepare an inventory of damaged or destroyed items and give a copy to the adjuster along with copies of any receipts. Consider taking photos or videos of the damage for better proof.
- Identify any structural damage to your home: like your gutters, roof, or siding. Make a list of everything you want to show the adjuster.
- Get written bids from licensed contractors. The bids should include details of the materials to be used and prices on a line by line basis. This will help make your claim faster and more simple.
- Keep copies of the lists and other documents you submit to your insurance company. Also keep copies of paperwork you give to your insurance company: your written bids, adjusters papers, the contact information of people you spoke to.
From there, they will process your claim and determine how much you will receive from your insurance. After your claim has been settled and the repair work is underway, it is a good idea to re-evaluate your homeowner’s insurance coverage. It also is a great time to figure out what other exterior projects around your home that you can do to lower your homeowner’s insurance.
