What Central Oregon Homeowners Should Do After a Hailstorm

Hail is sneaky. A roof can look fine from the driveway and have a hundred bruised shingles that will start shedding granules over the next two winters. Here’s what to do in the first day, and what not to.

The first 24 hours

• Note the date and time. Your insurer will ask, and so will we.
• Photograph the hail if any is still on the ground, next to something for scale.
• Walk the property from the ground. Photograph dented gutters, downspouts and vent caps, torn window screens, chipped paint on decks and fences, and any piles of shingle granules at the bottom of the downspouts.
• Check inside. New stains, drips, damp spots in the attic. Photograph them and move belongings.
• Keep receipts for anything you buy to protect the interior.
• Stay off the roof. Hail-bruised shingles are fragile, and a footprint can turn a clean claim into a dispute.
• Call for a free inspection. Sooner is better; bruises are easiest to document while they’re fresh.

What hail actually does to a roof

On shingles, hail knocks the granules loose and bruises the mat underneath. The shingle may look intact the day after. Over the next year the bruised spots shed their granules, the asphalt bakes in the sun, and the roof ages years in months. On metal, hail dents but rarely opens anything up. Skylights, vents, and flashing can crack or dent either way.

That’s why a roof that “looks fine” after a storm is worth an inspection anyway. Hail damage is a lot easier to prove in the first few weeks than a year later.

What a hail inspection gives you

A roofer, not a salesperson, walks the roof and photographs what’s there. You get written findings and, if there’s damage, a line-item estimate for the repair or replacement. If you file a claim, we meet the adjuster on your roof and walk them through it, and we provide whatever additional documentation they ask for. Your insurer decides what’s covered; we make sure they have what they need to decide it fairly.

If there’s no damage, you get that in writing too. It’s useful to have on file if the neighbor’s roofer knocks next week.

Before you call the insurer

Read the policy or call your agent and ask: is hail covered, what’s my deductible, and how long do I have to report it. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation has a plain-language storm-damage page that covers what to ask. Then call us so you have a roofer’s report in hand when you file.

Request a hail damage inspection. It’s free, and it’s the document the whole claim rests on.