Storm damage first steps: the emergency mitigation chronology

Hour zero: make it safe

Before anything else, treat the scene as hazardous. Downed power lines are live until proven otherwise, keep people and pets clear and report them to your utility. If water is near outlets, switches, or the panel, cut power to those areas at the breaker. Smell gas? Leave and call your gas utility or fire department from outside. And don't climb a storm-damaged roof, compromised decking, loose shingles, and wet slopes injure homeowners every storm season; leave roof access to qualified professionals.

Hours 1 to 24: stop the water, not the claim

Your policy's duty to mitigate requires you to act promptly against further damage, a tarp today can be the difference between a covered roof claim and a denied interior-mold exclusion. Cover active openings with a secured tarp (see emergency roof tarping), move valuables out of the drip path, and contain interior water with buckets and towels. If a pipe burst rather than the roof failed, shut the main water valve.

Photograph everything before you move, cover, or clean anything: every damaged slope from the ground, the interior leaks, the water paths, and the damaged belongings where they sit. Then photograph the mitigation itself, the tarp going on, the buckets in place. Those before-and-after pairs are what prove the loss and the response.

Days 1 to 3: dry out, log, and call

Standing moisture turns a roof claim into a mold problem. Federal mold guidance (EPA) sets the dry-out target at 24 to 48 hours: run fans and a dehumidifier, pull up soaked rugs, and open up wet cavities where safe. Remove soaked porous materials only after they've been photographed in place. A moisture check by a pro tells you whether wall cavities and insulation actually dried or just look dry.

• Start a written log now: storm date and time, when you discovered the damage, every photo's date, every call (carrier, contractor, utility) with names and claim numbers.
• Keep every receipt: tarps, water extraction, emergency electrician or plumber visits, hotel if the home is uninhabitable. Mitigation expenses are generally claimable with documentation, confirm the process with your carrier.
• Get a professional inspection with test-square documentation before the adjuster visit, most storm damage isn't visible from the ground.
• File the claim promptly, then meet the adjuster prepared. The full order of operations lives in how to file a storm damage roof claim.

What not to do before the adjuster sees it

1. Don't permanently repair. No new shingles, no re-flashing, no repainting water stains until the damage is documented and claimed.
2. Don't discard damaged materials. Keep removed shingles, soaked drywall sections, and ruined belongings until photographed and the adjuster has seen them or released them.
3. Don't delay mitigation to 'preserve the scene.' The duty to mitigate outranks the photo op, tarp first, photograph throughout.
4. Don't sign anything under pressure. Door-knockers after a storm push fast signatures; you choose your contractor on your timeline, not theirs.