What to Do in the First 48 Hours After a Hurricane

When a hurricane has just passed and your phone signal is patchy and the power is out, the last thing you want to think about is paperwork. Unfortunately, the first 48 hours after the storm are when claims are won or lost. Carriers expect homeowners to document, mitigate, and report damage on a specific timeline. Miss it and your payout shrinks; nail it and the rest of the claim process gets dramatically easier.

This is a short, no-fluff timeline. Bookmark this page or print our post-storm documentation template before storm season starts.

Hour 0 to 6: safety first

Before anything else:

• Stay inside until local authorities give the all-clear. Down lines, weak trees, and unstable structures kill more people in the day after a storm than during it.
• Check on people. Family, neighbors (especially older neighbors), pets.
• Smell for gas. Listen for water. Both can be quietly catastrophic.
• Do NOT climb on the roof. A wet, debris-strewn roof is the most dangerous structure on your property right now. Photo inspections from the ground are enough for the next phase.

Hour 6 to 24: document, then mitigate

Florida policies require you to take "reasonable steps to prevent further damage." That's not optional. But you also need to document everything before you touch it.

Document first:

• Walk the perimeter with your phone. Wide shots first (whole house, each side, the roof from each angle), then close-ups of any damage.
• Photograph the interior of every room, including ceilings, even if nothing looks wrong. Hidden moisture problems show up days later.
• Save the storm's name and dates of impact in a notes file. Adjusters will ask.
• Note the time of each photo (most phones do this automatically; verify your camera time is accurate).

Then mitigate:

• Tarp the roof if there are exposed openings. If you can't do it safely, call us. Storm Authority dispatches emergency tarping 24/7.
• Move undamaged contents away from any leak path.
• Board up broken windows and doors.
• Save all receipts for any tarps, plywood, hotels, food, and supplies you have to buy. Many of those costs are reimbursable.

Hour 24 to 48: file the claim

Florida law gives you up to one year from the date of loss to file an initial claim and 18 months for supplemental claims, but waiting is a bad idea. Adjusters get less busy as time passes, but evidence does too: rain washes away granule loss, neighbors' lawn crews haul off your shingles, and memory fades.

Call your carrier or use their app. Most claims start with a single phone number on the back of your policy. You will get a claim number; write it down.

Don't sign anything from a contractor yet. It's normal to feel pressure from people knocking on doors after a storm. Real Tampa Bay roofers don't need that. Verify any contractor's state license at MyFloridaLicense.com before signing anything.

Schedule an independent inspection. Yours, not the carrier's. We provide free post-storm inspections and a detailed written report. If we find damage, you have an independent set of eyes documenting it. If we don't, you have peace of mind and we tell you that.

What happens next

The carrier sends out an adjuster. You should be present. We meet adjusters on-site for our customers as a standard part of any storm damage job, so nothing on the roof gets missed and the supplement process is much smoother if anything turns up later.

Request an emergency inspection or tarping