Hail and high winds are part of life in Green Country. When a storm rolls through Tulsa, Broken Arrow or Bixby, the hours and days afterward matter: what you document, how you protect your home and who you let on your roof can make the rest of the process smoother. This checklist walks through the steps in order. It is general information, not legal or insurance advice.
1. Stay safe first
- Stay off the roof. Wet, hail-covered or damaged shingles are slippery, and storm damage can hide weak spots in the roof deck.
- Keep clear of downed power lines and anything touching them. Report them to your electric utility.
- If water is coming through a ceiling near light fixtures or outlets, turn off power to that area at the breaker if it is safe to do so.
- Watch for sagging ceilings. A bulging, water-filled spot can come down without warning.
2. Check what you can from the ground
Walk around the house in daylight. Binoculars or your phone’s zoom help a lot.
- Missing, lifted, creased or torn shingles, especially along ridges and roof edges
- Dark spots or “bruises” where granules have been knocked off
- Shingle granules piled at downspout outlets or in gutters
- Dents in gutters, downspouts, roof vents, window wraps, air conditioner fins and metal flashing (these are often easier to see than hail marks on shingles)
- Bent or loose drip edge, flashing or ridge caps
- Cracked or chipped siding, fascia and window screens
- Fallen limbs on or against the roof
3. Check inside, too
- New stains, drips or bubbling paint on ceilings and upper walls
- In the attic, if you can get there safely: wet insulation, damp wood, drips, or daylight through the roof deck
- Water around skylights, chimneys and exhaust vents
Some hail damage does not show up as a leak right away. A roof can look fine from the ground and still have damage that shortens its life.
4. Document everything with dated photos
Good records help you, your insurance company and any contractor understand what happened.
- Write down the date and approximate time of the storm.
- Take wide photos of each side of the house, then close-ups of anything damaged. Phone photos usually keep the date and time automatically; leave that setting on.
- Photograph hailstones next to a coin or ruler if you can, before they melt.
- Record interior damage: ceiling stains, wet insulation, damaged belongings.
- Keep damaged items until your insurance company says you can discard them. The Oklahoma Insurance Department’s post-storm guidance says: “Don’t throw anything away unless your insurance company tells you to.”
- Save every receipt, including tarps, buckets and temporary repairs.
5. Prevent more damage with temporary protection
OID advises securing openings and leaks to prevent further damage. Your policy may also describe what it expects; check the wording.
- Put buckets and towels under drips, and move furniture, electronics and keepsakes out of the way.
- Have openings on the roof covered with a properly secured tarp. Tarping is roof work; a professional is safer than a ladder in the wind.
- Photograph the damage before it is covered, and photograph the tarp after it is installed.
- Hold off on permanent repairs until your insurance company has had a chance to inspect, as OID advises in the same guidance.
6. How insurance claims generally work
Every policy is different, and the claim belongs to you, the homeowner. In general:
- Read your policy. Look at your deductible (some policies have a separate wind and hail deductible, which may be a percentage of the home’s insured value), whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and any cosmetic-damage exclusions.
- Know your deadlines. Policies set time limits for reporting a loss and for completing repairs. OID reminds homeowners that replacement cost policies can require the work to be completed within six months of the date of loss. Your policy’s terms control, so check them and ask your agent.
- Decide whether to file. If the damage is close to your deductible, OID notes that paying for the repair yourself may make more sense. A roof inspection with photos can help you decide.
- The insurance company sends an adjuster to inspect and prepares an estimate. You can ask questions about anything you don’t understand.
- If you disagree with a decision, ask the insurer to explain it in writing. The Oklahoma Insurance Department offers free consumer assistance at 800-522-0071.
A roofer can inspect your roof and show you what they found, but no roofer can promise what an insurance company will decide.
7. Watch for storm-chaser red flags
After big storms, out-of-town crews and door-to-door salespeople arrive quickly. Many are gone by the time a warranty issue comes up. Be cautious if you see:
- Out-of-state plates and no local address. Ask where their office is and drive by it if you’re unsure.
- Door-to-door pressure. “We’re only in the neighborhood today” or “sign now to lock in your spot” are pressure tactics. A good roofer will give you time to think.
- Requests to sign over your insurance benefits or to sign a contract before you understand what your policy covers. Read everything; never sign a contract with blank spaces; keep a copy.
- Demands for a large deposit or full payment before any work starts.
- Offers to waive, cover or “eat” your deductible. In Oklahoma, roofing contractors paid from insurance proceeds may not advertise or promise to pay any part of an insured’s deductible (59 O.S. § 1151.30). OID also warns homeowners to avoid contractors who offer to waive a deductible or promise a rebate.
- No Oklahoma roofing registration number, or a number that doesn’t match the company name.
8. Verify the roofer’s Oklahoma registration
Oklahoma requires roofing contractors to register with the Construction Industries Board (CIB), which requires proof of general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage or an exemption. Before you sign:
- Search the company at the CIB’s Roofing Registration Search.
- Confirm the registration is active and in the same name as the company on your contract.
- Read about the CIB’s roofing contractor requirements.
- Check reviews and the company’s Better Business Bureau profile.
Suspected contractor fraud can be reported to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit (833-681-1895, per OID).
9. Questions to ask before you hire anyone
- What is your Oklahoma roofing registration number?
- Where is your office, and how long have you worked in the Tulsa area?
- Will you inspect the whole roof and give me photos of what you find?
- Can any of the damaged shingles be repaired, or does the roof need to be replaced? Why?
- Will you remove the old roof down to the deck, and how will you check the deck?
- What manufacturer and workmanship warranties come with the work, and are they in writing?
- Who is my point of contact during the job, and how do you protect my yard, landscaping and driveway?
- When is payment due, and what does the written contract include?
How Family Tree Roofing can help
We’re a family-owned residential roofing company, established in 2020, with an office in Bixby (by appointment). We serve Tulsa, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Owasso, Sapulpa, Glenpool, Sand Springs, Coweta and Claremore.
- Free roof inspections. We walk you through what we found and show you the photos.
- Emergency roof tarping to help protect your home after storm damage.
- Brandon Witten, our owner, is a Building Experts Institute certified shingle repairability assessor, so we look carefully at whether damaged shingles can be repaired.
- Oklahoma residential roofing registration #80004991 (residential roofing only). Malarkey Certified Pro Contractor, Owens Corning Preferred Contractor and BBB Accredited Business since 2021.
Decisions about your claim stay between you and your insurance company. What we can do is give you a clear, honest picture of your roof. Call 918-703-3735 or request a free roof inspection.