Storm Damage Roof
Repair in the IE

Call a Roofer
Before Your Adjuster

The Inland Empire gets hit hard by Santa Ana wind events, and most homeowners don't realize they've had roof damage until it rains. Missing shingles, cracked tile, lifted flashing, blown ridge caps: wind damage is real, and wind is a covered peril on a lot of homeowners policies. What policies usually exclude is wear and tear, so the question on a roof claim is often whether the storm did the damage or age did. That is why the damage should be documented before the insurance adjuster arrives.

We have worked storm claims before, and here is where a roofer fits. We document the damage, write up what the repair actually involves, and if you want us there, we can be on site when your adjuster inspects to show them the damage and explain the repair. The claim itself stays between you and your insurance company. In California, negotiating a claim on a homeowner's behalf is a licensed public adjuster's job (or an attorney's), not a roofer's. Our job is the roof: what is damaged, what the repair involves, and proof of both. Whether you call us before filing or after you've already started, the goal is the same: the damage gets documented properly and nothing gets missed because nobody went up to look.

How It Works

• Call us first, before the adjuster comes out. We inspect the roof and prepare a written report with before photos and damage documentation.
• Submit with your claim, so your adjuster starts from dated photos and a written description of the damage, not just your account of it.
• Adjuster visit, if you want us there, we can be on site when your adjuster inspects to show them the damage and explain what the repair involves. The claim itself stays between you and your insurance company.
• Repair or replacement, whether it goes through your claim or you pay for it yourself, we handle the work from permit through final inspection.

Infrared Documentation for Claims

Wind damage is easy to photograph. Water that already got in is not, because by the time it shows on a ceiling it has been traveling through the framing for a while and the stain is nowhere near the entry point. On storm calls we run an infrared thermal survey before we write anything down. The camera reads temperature, and wet material reads cold, so the infrared scan maps how far the water actually spread instead of leaving an adjuster to guess from one stain.

Then we confirm it from the attic, because an infrared image on its own is a lead and not a finding. That pairing, an infrared scan plus dated photos of the same spot from below, is the difference between a claim file an adjuster can act on and a story. The longer version, including what wind coverage usually means and why wear and tear is excluded, is in storm damage: document first, call second.

What Santa Ana Winds Do to Roofs

Santa Ana winds are the most common cause of residential roof damage in the Inland Empire. During a strong event, gusts along the foothills can reach 60 mph or more, enough to lift and displace shingles, crack or shift tile, pull flashing away from walls, and blow debris that punctures or scours roofing material.

The damage isn't always obvious from the ground. A few displaced shingles or a lifted flashing section won't be visible until the next rain, and by then you've got a leak and potential water damage inside. A post-storm inspection costs you nothing and could save you a significant repair bill down the road.

Frequently Asked Questions