When You Can’t Avoid Mother Nature's Damage

Here are 6 great tips that contractors can share with their customers on dealing with storm damage.

By SureCoat Systems.

Even if a storm doesn’t cause torrential rain or hail, wind alone can cause enough damage to your property to call for repair. However, if you are a property owner in an area affected by a severe storm, you know just how costly and inconvenient damage can be to your building and your daily business operations. The cost and inconvenience to have your roof replaced due to damage takes this inconvenience to another level with a potential closing of the business, damaged assets or loss of tenants. Property owners and insurance companies in these parts of the country know that they cannot avoid Mother Nature.

Here are some tips to help get your property back on track post-storm and save you and your insurance company some $$$ in the process.

Tip 1: After a storm passes, it’s time to assess the situation. Make sure to check for roof damage from any and all sources – wind, hail, rain, flying debris, etc.

Look for shingles or roofing membranes that were torn away or any visible punctures, cracks, etc. to your specific type of roof. Look for missing or displaced metal pieces to roof mounted equipment.

Inspect the interior areas of your property for any signs of leaks or water damage that may not be visible from outside your property.

Most importantly, stay safe when doing your post-storm inspection – avoid going on the roof to check for the damage yourself if possible and instead contact a professional.

Tip 2: Find all applicable insurance policies and have them on hand. This might include a homeowners’ policy, a flood policy, a hurricane policy and even an automobile policy for any damage your vehicles might have incurred.

Tip 3: Document all damaged property. It’s important that you take photos or videos before any repairs occur. Insurance companies may ask you for visual documentation of damages when filing your claim.

Tip 4: Contact your insurance company or agent ASAP to report damages. Insurance policies usually require prompt reporting of claims, so it is important not to let any damages wait around.

Tip 5: Cover any severely damaged areas to protect them from the elements and to prevent any further deterioration. It may be necessary that your property requires you to perform temporary fixes or repairs, if this is the case keep all receipts, your insurance company may reimburse your expenses.

Also, remove any damaged items that could potentially spread mold or cause further harm to the interior of your property, document them, but do not dispose of until your insurance representative has an opportunity to survey.

Tip 6: Locate the right roofer and materials. When researching products for insurance claim restoration work, look for the best quality and low maintenance materials that can restore your property to new condition. The SureCoat Roof System is a liquid single-ply that has been engineered with the highest-grade raw materials and cross-linked resins to provide increased durability and elasticity protecting against the toughest ponding water, high winds and debris. It can be used to repair all levels of damage on metal roofs, built-up roofs, SPF, PVC, TPO, EPDM, Hypalon and other single-ply membranes.

The SureCoat Roof System has a perfected elongation of 400%, sustains an elongation of 160% at freezing and has an advanced tensile strength of 2800 psi. ASTM weathered testing results did not show any signs of cracking, splitting, separation or rupture when under examination; magnified 10 times through ASTM hail resistance testing which meets or exceeds FM standards.

On top of all that the SureCoat Roof System has saved clients thousands of dollars on roof repairs and restorations, a great example, we ended up helping this client save about $200,000 with no tear off or replacement necessary.

…shh do you hear that? Tears of joy from your insurance company!

So, if you’re short on time or money then attack your vulnerable areas by doing patches, repairs or a partial roof project that is proven to protect against further damage ultimately saving time and money for both you and your insurance company. Don’t waste any more time get in touch with a SureCoat System waterproofing expert today.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on SureCoat Systems’ blog and can be viewed here.