The First 24 Hours After Storm Damage

Safety first — the house can wait

• Downed lines: treat every wire as live. Stay away, keep kids and pets inside, and report it to the utility. Don't touch anything the line is touching — fences, branches, puddles included.
• Gas smell: leave. No light switches — on or off — no phones inside, no "quick check." Get out and call 911 from outside.
• Don't walk a debris-covered roof, and don't enter a room with a sagging ceiling. A water-loaded ceiling can come down all at once. Read damage from the ground and the doorway; our roof guide covers what you can actually see from down there.
• Kill power to wet areas at the breaker — but only if the panel itself is dry and the floor you're standing on is dry. If the panel area is wet, leave it alone and call an electrician or the utility. Knowing your shut-offs before the storm is the whole point of our house systems guide.

Document before you touch anything

Once people are safe, your job is evidence. You cannot re-photograph the "before," so over-shoot:

• Wide shots first, then close-ups of every damaged area — roof, siding, windows, ceilings, floors.
• A video walkthrough, narrating the date and time as you go: every room, the attic if it's safe, the yard, and the view of the house from the neighbor's side.
• Start a receipts folder now. Tarps, plywood, fans, a hotel night — everything you spend from this moment forward goes in it.

Temporary protection: expected, and usually reimbursable

Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage — tarping a hole, boarding a window, getting standing water out — and generally reimburse reasonable costs for doing it. Two cautions: keep every receipt, and don't make permanent repairs before the adjuster has seen the damage. Tarp it, dry it, stabilize it — then stop. Policies differ on the details, so check yours or ask your agent rather than assuming.

Calling it in

• Have your policy number, photos, and notes in front of you when you call.
• If the house isn't livable, ask about additional living expense or loss-of-use coverage — many policies help with temporary housing, but the terms vary, so ask specifically.
• Write down the claim number and the adjuster's name and direct contact before you hang up.
• Keep a dated timeline of every call and visit from here on. Claims run weeks; your notes will beat your memory every time.

The storm chasers

Within hours of a big storm, out-of-town crews start canvassing. The pitch is polished: "we're already doing your neighbor's roof," today-only pricing, and a friendly clipboard with an "inspection authorization" to sign. Read that paper — some of them are actually contracts or an assignment of your insurance benefits. Nobody needs your signature just to look at a roof. Before anyone works on your house: verify their PA home improvement contractor registration (search "PA HIC verification"), get the insurance certificates, and prefer an outfit with a local address and a history you can check — the full checklist is in our hiring a contractor guide.

If you want a local set of eyes on storm damage, our sister company Integrated Contracting & Renovations is Pittsburgh-based year-round — but whoever you call, make them prove the license and insurance first.

The tree question

Where the tree came from matters less than people think. Your tree on your house is generally your policy's problem. The neighbor's tree on your house is usually still your policy's problem — that one surprises people every time. There are exceptions when a tree was known to be dead or dangerous, but that's a fact-specific fight, not a rule you can count on. Your agent can explain how your policy treats your situation; ask before you need the answer.