Southeast Texas gives building owners plenty of practice. After the May 16, 2024 derecho, the National Weather Service estimated winds near 100 miles per hour in parts of the Houston area, based on damage surveys. Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda that July.
What separates a manageable loss from a bad one is usually the first two days.
Hours 0 to 4: Make It Safe
Safety first, paperwork second.
- Treat every downed line as live
- Check for standing water near panels and equipment
- Cut power to any area with active water intrusion
- Walk the interior for ceiling sag, wet insulation, and dripping fixtures
- Rope off anything unstable and keep tenants clear
Nobody goes on the roof yet. You cannot assess a deck you do not trust.
Hours 4 to 24: Document Before You Touch
Photograph each side of the building wide, then close on the damage. Turn on date stamps.
Write a short timeline while it is fresh. When the storm hit. When the leak started. Who you called, and when. Adjusters read timelines.
Log the inside losses too. Stock, equipment, flooring, and drywall all belong in the file, not just the roof.
Call the carrier the same day. Early notice is the cheapest thing you can do.
Hours 24 to 48: Protect, Then Assess
Temporary protection comes next. Tarps, board ups, and water diversion stop the loss from growing while a full scope gets built.
Then get the real assessment. A storm scope should cover the membrane, seams, flashing, drains, and rooftop equipment, and it should come with photos an adjuster can use. If you want to see how a commercial storm scope gets built before you choose a contractor, you can learn more first.
Be careful with anyone who arrives unprompted with a clipboard and an out of state plate. Local contractors are still reachable when the warranty matters.
Keep Your Own People Off the Roof
Storm damaged roofs hide soft decking, holes under debris, and slick membrane.
OSHA publishes guidance on the hazards involved in roof inspection, tarping, and repair after a hurricane. Fall protection, electrical hazards, and unstable structures all appear on the list.
Your maintenance staff is not equipped for that. Send trained crews with fall protection, or send nobody.
Know Which Rulebook Applies
This one costs people time. Permit rules are not the same everywhere.
They depend on whether the building sits inside a city or outside one. A mailing address does not tell you which. Plenty of properties with a Houston address are not in the city at all.
Much of the Lake Houston and Huffman area is unincorporated Harris County. Ask your contractor to confirm the rules for your exact address. Do it before permanent work starts, and get the answer in writing.
Two more things worth checking early:
- Who pulls the permit, you or the contractor
- Whether any inspection is needed before the roof gets closed up
Inland Harris County also sits outside the coastal windstorm zone. So the coastal certificate rules you may have read about do not apply here. Your own wind and hail policy terms still do.
What Slows a Claim Down
Three things, usually.
- Late notice to the carrier
- Thin documentation, meaning no before photos and no timeline
- Permanent repairs completed before the adjuster sees the damage
Temporary protection is expected and should be documented. Permanent work ahead of an inspection is a different story.
Two habits help. Keep a current roof plan with drains and equipment marked, so a contractor is not guessing on day one. Keep last year’s inspection report handy, because comparing two dated reports is the fastest way to show what the storm changed.
Safe, documented, covered, then fixed. In that order.