After the storm
The first 48 hours after hail
If you are reading this on your phone the night of a storm, here is the short version: photograph first, tarp second, sign nothing, and order tonight what the whole neighborhood will be buying tomorrow. The full checklist is below.
Start the claim side too: check whether hail was verified at your address, see the deadlines that apply, and read your rights before the first contractor knocks.
Tonight, in order
1. Stay off the roof
Document from the ground and the ladder line. A wet or hail-loosened roof at night injures more homeowners than the hail did. Many roofers do emergency tarp-overs, and that cost is normally part of the claim.
2. Photograph everything before you touch anything
Wide shot, medium shot, close shot, for every damaged area. All four sides of the house. Gutters, downspouts, AC fins, window screens, and anything else made of soft metal: hail dents in soft metal are the classic corroborating evidence. Then one narrated walk-through video saying the date and address.
3. Then prevent further damage, and keep every receipt
Tarp the openings, move furniture off wet carpet, get air moving across wet surfaces. Reasonable emergency costs (tarps, fasteners, a wet vac rental) are normally reimbursable as part of the claim, but only if the receipts survive.
4. Sign nothing tonight
Anyone knocking on doors the night of a storm wants a signature more than you need one. That includes inspection authorizations that are actually contracts, contingency agreements, and anything called an assignment of benefits. A legitimate contractor will still be legitimate on Thursday.
5. Report the claim, or do it first thing tomorrow
You do not need a contractor's estimate or a dollar figure to file. Have your policy number, the storm date, and a one-paragraph description. Write down the claim number and the adjuster's name, and start a log of every call from tonight forward.
6. Do not throw damaged things away
The insurer has the right to inspect damaged property. Bag it, cover it, photograph it, and keep it until the claim resolves.
Worth ordering tonight
After a regional hail storm, every homeowner within the swath needs the same six things at the same time, and local shelves reflect that within a day or two. Overnight delivery exists; the links below are searches sorted toward fast shipping. Buy what fits your damage and skip the rest.
As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases made through the product links below. The links cost you nothing extra. Reasonable emergency-mitigation purchases are normally part of the insurance claim, so keep the receipts either way.
Heavy-duty tarp (choose oversize)
Your policy expects reasonable steps to prevent further damage. A tarp over a roof opening or broken window is the textbook example, and hardware stores in a hail-hit area often sell through tarps within a day or two.
Photograph the damage before anything is covered.
Find on AmazonPlastic sheeting + tarp tape
For broken windows and interior openings where a full tarp is overkill. Cheaper and faster to place than plywood.
Find on AmazonContractor trash bags
Wet insulation, ceiling drywall, and broken glass need to go somewhere, and kitchen bags are not that somewhere. Keep damaged materials bagged on site until the adjuster has seen or waived them.
Find on AmazonHeadlamp
Checking the attic for water at night takes both hands. A phone flashlight in your mouth is the traditional alternative and it is worse.
Find on AmazonWet/dry vacuum
Standing water in a basement or under a window gets more expensive by the hour. Extraction tonight is cheaper than remediation next week, and the vacuum is reusable for life.
Find on AmazonHigh-velocity fan or dehumidifier
Drying wet carpet and drywall fast is the difference between a repair line item and a mold problem. Run air across wet surfaces starting tonight.
Find on AmazonMoisture meter
A $30 pin meter turns a wet-or-dry argument with an adjuster into a photographed number. Reading plus photo goes in the claim file.
Find on AmazonWaterproof document bag
Policy, inventory, receipts, and the adjuster's paperwork live in one place for the months the claim runs.
Find on AmazonBuilding a kit before the next storm instead? The fuller list, with the state guidance behind each item, is on the storm prep page.
Tomorrow: the claim starts
The first 48 hours are about evidence and mitigation. The next 48 days are about the claim: the adjuster inspection, the estimate, depreciation you can recover after repairs, and the supplement process when items get missed. Start with your rights and the deadline clock, and use the license check before hiring anyone who knocked on your door.
This page is general education about the property claim process, not legal advice about your claim and not an insurance adjusting service. Policy terms and state rules vary; confirm specifics in your own policy.