Welcome to severe weather season in the Lone Star State! According to Chief Meteorologist John Robison of KCBD NewsChannel 11, Texas has been slammed by almost 200 hailstorms this year alone. The average is usually fewer than 90. And the season is just getting started. Hailstorms are in high gear in Texas this year! Sadly, it looks like it’s only going to get worse.
Welcome to severe weather season in the Lone Star State! According to Chief Meteorologist John Robison of KCBD NewsChannel 11, Texas has been slammed by almost 200 hailstorms this year alone. The average is usually fewer than 90. And the season is just getting started. Hailstorms are in high gear in Texas this year! Sadly, it looks like it’s only going to get worse.
Mr. Robison reported that, “Over the weekend we had the large hail in the area and obviously Dallas-Fort Worth has had numerous hailstorms, three specifically during the last month.” Then, of course, there were the epic storms in the San Antonio area this week. As predicted by climate scientists, Mr. Robison said the rest of April and part of May will bring even worse weather.
He said, “We are expecting there to be more activity and some of that activity may be much stronger than normal. They will produce possibly larger hail more often and there may be other severe weather events that are related to it.”
Jeff Tate of Hartman Roofing has spent each spring for over 15 years getting himself ready for “hail season.”
Mr. Tate commented, “We see it tear it up, from roof damage to breaking out windows to damaging the stucco.”
His best advice, since there really isn’t much of a way to totally protect against such damage is to make sure your homeowners’ insurance policy is up-to-date and covers this type of storm damage. As he said, “They’re going to be able to assess the damage and get you adequately paid to get your roof done by a contractor that is insured. Some of the hail like they’ve had in the Dallas Metroplex area, it’s knocking holes in the roofs. It’s damaging them where they’re irreplaceable, you have to replace them.”
Mr. Tate advises the top priority is personal safety. Get yourself, family members and pets indoors during severe weather, especially when it’s producing golf ball/baseball, softball sized hail.
One thing to note, in addition to the good advice of making sure your policies are current, is that not all hail damage is immediately visible. Some types are, while others may take months to appear.
When filing first party insurance claims for storm damage, you should carefully document the condition of your roof (safely!) by taking “multiple, dated, photos showing the condition and aesthetics of the entire roof at that time,” according to Atlas Roofing Company. If your insurance adjustor doesn’t see any damage during the inspection immediately following the storm, you may not be compensated for it later without such proof.
Atlas Roofing suggests continual monitoring of the “field shingles, gutters and downspouts for excessive granule losses for several months.” The granules look like sand and are present to aid in fire resistance, to protect the shingle mats from damaging ultra-violet light, as well as for design and appearance purposes. Granules tend to fall off as shingles age; however, severe hailstorms may knock them off, too. While this is not always a sign of shingle damage, if there are indentations in addition to granule loss, chances are greater that your shingles are damaged or, at the very least, on their way to failure.
On top of which, not all insurance companies play fairly, as Mr. Tate describes them. Some companies, in an effort to save money – they are businesses, after all – underpay claims. They may even cut corners during inspections. This is known as “acting in bad faith” and is a breach of the insurance contract. If your insurance company is giving you the run-around on a first party claim for storm damage, contact a qualified lawyer for assistance.
Sources:
Join the conversation!