Storm Damage Roof Repair in Southfield, MI

The National Weather Service counts a thunderstorm as severe once winds reach 58 mph. Wind damage starts at the edges: the rakes, the eaves and the ridge, where uplift is strongest. Look for a straight crease across a tab that flapped and then lay back down. From the ground the roof can look fine, which is why wind damage gets missed until the next storm finishes the job. A shingle's wind rating is printed on the wrapper. ASTM D3161 Class F is tested at 110 mph, and ASTM D7158 Class H is rated for a 150 mph basic wind speed. That tells you what a replacement shingle is built for.

Freezing rain coats everything and adds weight to gutters, which can pull their hangers out of the fascia. Heavy wet snow drifts against chimneys and dormers and sits there for weeks. Snow damage is often slow. A deck that sags between rafters, cracked ridge boards, or a leak that starts days later when the drift melts. Ice dams, where meltwater refreezes at the eave and backs up under shingles, are a separate problem with a separate fix: see ice dam removal.

A large limb can punch through the deck. A smaller one leaves scuffs, cracked tabs and dented vents that are easy to miss from the ground. After the branch is off, the roofer checks the decking underneath from the attic for cracks or a split rafter, because a dented-in deck under intact shingles can still leak later. If a tree is still on the roof or wires are down, that's an emergency roof repair, and the utility comes first.

A storm inspection covers every slope, including the ones on the sheltered side. The roofer marks damage with chalk, photographs it next to a tape measure, and notes the date and which slopes were hit. The attic gets checked for new light, wet spots and cracked boards. You should get the photos and a written list of findings, not a verbal "you need a new roof". Photos taken soon after the storm, before any repair, are what an adjuster can match to a weather date.

Claim support is paperwork. The contractor can provide the photo report, a line-item repair or replacement scope, and measurements, and can be on site when the adjuster inspects so both look at the same damage. Whether your policy covers the loss, and how much it pays, is decided by your insurer under your policy. No roofer, and nobody on this site, can promise coverage.