What to Check on Your Roof Before Hurricane Season

Hurricane season runs from June to November on this coast. The work that decides how your roof comes through it happens before June.

This is the checklist we give our own customers. None of it requires getting on the roof, and we would rather you did not.

From the ground, with binoculars

Look along the ridge

Ridge caps are the first thing wind takes. If any look lifted, crooked or missing, that is where next storm's damage will start.

Look at the edges

Roofs fail at the perimeter, not in the middle. Check the eaves and rakes for shingles that look raised or that show a shadow line underneath.

Look for dark patches

A shingle that has lost its granules looks darker and slightly shiny. That is the asphalt underneath, exposed. Those areas age fast.

Check the valleys

Where two roof planes meet, water concentrates. Debris packed in a valley dams water and forces it sideways under the shingles.

From inside the attic

Go up on a bright day and turn the light off. Daylight through the decking means a hole. Then look for dark staining on the underside of the plywood, especially around chimneys, vents and valleys, that is where leaks start.

Press on any stained wood. If it gives, the decking is already rotting.

Fix before the season, not after

• Lifted or missing shingles. A gap that is survivable in June is an entry point in September.
• Cracked plumbing boots. The rubber collar around plumbing vents is the most common leak we are called out to, and one of the cheapest fixes.
• Loose or corroded flashing. Especially at chimneys.
• Overhanging limbs. Anything that can reach your roof in 70 mph wind will.
• Blocked gutters. With the rainfall here, a blocked gutter backs water up under the shingle edge.

Have your documents together

• Your policy number and your carrier's claims phone number
• Your wind or hurricane deductible, it is often a percentage of the home's value, not a flat figure, and it surprises people
• Receipts and paperwork from any previous roof work

If a storm does hit

Safety first, then documentation. Photograph everything before you move anything or let anyone start work. Emergency tarping to stop further damage is normally covered and normally expected of you, most policies require you to prevent additional damage where you reasonably can.

Be careful about out-of-town crews that appear the week after a hurricane. Ask for an Alabama licence number and check that they will still exist in five years when something needs looking at.

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