What to Do After
Storm Damage to Your Roof

The first thing to do after storm damage to your roof is get everyone safely away from the area, photograph the damage from the ground, and cover any active leaks with a tarp — then call a licensed roofing contractor for a free inspection before you call your insurance company. The order matters: an inspection gives you documented proof of damage before an adjuster ever shows up.

Mississippi sees more than its share of severe weather — spring hailstorms, summer thunderstorms strong enough to strip shingles, and the occasional hurricane remnant pushing wind gusts well past what a roof was built to handle. If your home in Southaven, Hernando, Olive Branch, or anywhere across DeSoto County just went through one of those storms, here’s exactly what to do next, in order.

Step 1: Make Sure Everyone Is Safe First

Don’t go up on the roof. Don’t walk under damaged tree limbs or near downed power lines. Storm damage assessment can wait a few hours — a fall or an electrical hazard can’t be undone. If you smell gas, see sparking wires, or notice structural sagging severe enough to worry about collapse, leave the area and call emergency services before doing anything else.

Once the immediate danger has passed, a visual check from the ground — using binoculars if you have them — is enough to start documenting what happened.

Step 2: Document Everything Before You Touch Anything

Insurance claims live and die on documentation. Before any tarping, cleanup, or repair work happens:

• Photograph the roof from multiple angles at ground level
• Photograph any visible damage: missing shingles, dented gutters, damaged flashing, debris on the roof
• Photograph interior damage too — water stains, ceiling drips, damp insulation in the attic
• Note the date and approximate time of the storm
• Keep any large hail or debris that caused visible damage as physical evidence if safe to collect

This step matters more than most homeowners realize. Insurance adjusters weigh photographic evidence heavily, and damage that gets covered up by rain, wind, or a rushed cleanup before it’s documented is much harder to claim later.

Step 3: Stop Further Damage With Emergency Tarping

If shingles are missing, flashing has pulled away, or you can see daylight through the roof deck, water will get in with the next rain — and Mississippi storms rarely come just once. A professional emergency tarp seals the exposed area temporarily without causing additional damage to the roofing material underneath.

This is not a DIY job. Climbing a storm-damaged roof to tarp it yourself risks a fall on a surface that may already be structurally compromised, and an improperly secured tarp can tear loose in the next wind event and make things worse. Ultimate Roofing offers emergency roof repair for exactly this situation — same-week response to stop water intrusion before it turns into a bigger problem.

Step 4: Get a Professional Inspection — Before You Call Insurance

This is the step most homeowners get backwards. Calling the insurance company first, before you have a professional assessment in hand, means you’re relying entirely on the adjuster’s evaluation of the damage — and adjusters are working for the insurance company, not for you.

A free professional roof inspection gives you an independent, detailed record of exactly what the storm damaged: which shingles are compromised, whether the underlayment or decking was affected, and whether the damage pattern is consistent with wind, hail, or both. Ultimate Roofing uses drone inspection technology to document every angle of the roof without anyone needing to climb it, producing a clear photo record alongside the written assessment.

Walk into your insurance conversation with that report already in hand, and you’re negotiating from documented fact instead of hoping the adjuster catches everything.

Step 5: File Your Insurance Claim

Once you have a professional inspection report, you’re ready to file. Most homeowner’s policies in Mississippi cover storm damage from hail, wind, and falling debris as a covered peril — the exceptions are usually damage from long-term neglect or an already-aging roof that was overdue for replacement before the storm hit.

For the full walkthrough of what to expect during the claims process, what documentation your adjuster will want, and how to handle a lowball settlement offer, see our companion guide: How to File a Roof Insurance Claim in Mississippi.

Ultimate Roofing works directly with insurance adjusters on storm damage claims across DeSoto County — meeting the adjuster on-site, providing the inspection documentation, and making sure the scope of the approved repair actually matches the real scope of the damage.

Step 6: Get a Written Repair or Replacement Estimate

Depending on the extent of the damage, your roof may need a full replacement or a targeted repair. A written estimate should clearly separate:

• Materials and labor covered by the insurance settlement
• Any upgrades beyond the insurance scope (if you choose to add them)
• Timeline for the repair or replacement
• Warranty coverage on both materials and workmanship

Get this in writing before any work starts. A verbal estimate protects no one if there’s a disagreement later about what was actually promised.

Step 7: Watch for Storm Chasers

After any major storm event, out-of-town contractors going door-to-door offering “storm damage specials” show up in DeSoto County within days. Some are legitimate. Many aren’t — they take a deposit, do rushed or substandard work, and are gone before problems surface, with no local license, no local reputation, and no way to hold them accountable.

Before hiring anyone, confirm they carry a Mississippi contractor’s license, have a permanent local address, and can show references from other jobs in your area. Ultimate Roofing is licensed (MS License #R18259) and has served Southaven and DeSoto County long enough that our reputation — and our warranty — actually mean something.

How Long Does the Whole Process Take?

From storm to finished repair, most straightforward claims move through inspection (same week), insurance approval (typically 1–3 weeks depending on the insurer and claim volume after a widespread storm event), and repair or replacement (1–3 days of actual work once materials are on-site). Widespread regional storm events can slow insurance approval timelines since adjusters are handling a surge of claims at once — another reason to get your independent inspection documented early rather than waiting in line behind everyone else.

Homeowners across Southaven, Hernando, Olive Branch, and the rest of DeSoto County can schedule a free storm damage inspection with Ultimate Roofing any time — no obligation, no pressure, just an honest assessment of what actually happened to your roof.