Storm

Storm Damage Roof Checklist for Chesapeake Homeowners

By Chesapeake Roofing Pros · September 11, 2026 · 7 min read

Chesapeake doesn't get the hail that keeps roofers busy in Kansas and Colorado. What it gets is wind: tropical remnants from August through October, and nor'easters from November into March that can blow 40–60 mph for a day and a half straight. Hurricane Isabel in 2003, Irene in 2011, Matthew in 2016 and the January 2018 nor'easter each left damaged roofs across the city. The damage looks different from hail, and the checklist for the morning after is different too.

This is what to walk through, in order, without getting on the roof.

First: safety, then photos

• Stay off the roof. Wet shingles on a two-story roof are how people end up at Chesapeake Regional the day after a storm.
• Check for downed lines before you walk the yard. Dominion Energy asks that you treat every downed wire as live.
• Photograph everything from the ground with your phone, which time-stamps the image: shingles in the yard, the slope they came from, the gutters, any water inside. Take wide shots and close-ups. These photos are the foundation of a claim.

Walk the yard

• Shingles or shingle pieces on the ground. Note which side of the house. Wind damage is directional — the slope that faced the storm took the hit. Nor'easters come from the northeast; tropical remnants usually from the south and east as they pass.
• Granules in piles below the downspouts — a heavy rain always washes some, but a thick layer after a storm means shingles were scoured.
• Ridge cap pieces. The ridge is the first thing to go in wind because it's the most exposed. If you find L-shaped pieces, the ridge is open.
• Limbs and debris. Chesapeake's loblolly pines and water oaks come down when the ground is saturated and the wind passes 50 mph. Any limb that hit the roof needs a close look even if nothing looks broken.

Look at the roof from the ground

Use binoculars or your phone's zoom. Check each slope for:

• Missing shingles — obvious dark rectangles where the underlayment or old shingles show
• Lifted or flipped shingles — tabs standing up or folded back
• Creased shingles — the subtle one. A shingle that lifted in the wind and lay back down has a horizontal crease across it that broke the mat. It looks fine from the street and will leak within a year. These are the shingles adjusters miss from the ground and the reason a roof needs to be walked after a storm.
• Flashing — anything metal that's bent, lifted, or missing at the chimney, walls and vents
• Gutters — pulled away, bent, or full of granules and shingle pieces
• Skylights — cracked glass, lifted flashing
• Satellite dishes and vents — anything that spun or pulled its fasteners out has opened a hole

Check inside

• Ceilings and the tops of walls on the upper floor, especially under valleys and around the chimney
• The attic with a flashlight — wet insulation, daylight through the deck, dripping nail tips
• Around windows on the windward side — a nor'easter drives rain in behind flashing and trim, and that's often mistaken for a roof leak

Decide about a claim

Now you have the information. A few missing shingles is a $300–$800 repair. Many coastal Virginia policies carry a separate wind or hurricane deductible set as a percentage of dwelling coverage — check your declarations page. If yours does, that repair is likely under the deductible and shouldn't be a claim. A creased slope, a tree strike, or water inside is a claim.

Either way, get a roofer on the roof within a week or two while the damage is fresh and clearly tied to the storm. For storm damage roof repair, Chesapeake schedules fill quickly after any named system, and a written estimate with photos from the roof helps support a claim. Photograph the damage yourself and call your agent or insurer. A roofer can give you a written repair estimate and photos, but in Virginia only a public adjuster licensed by the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance can negotiate a claim for you.

What to expect at the door

Within days of any storm, out-of-town crews will be knocking on doors in Greenbrier and Great Bridge. Some are legitimate. Before you sign anything, check a roofer's license with the Virginia DPOR license lookup, don't pay a deposit for "materials" to someone who arrived in a truck with out-of-state plates, and never sign an assignment of benefits that hands your claim to the contractor. Never accept an offer to waive, cover or absorb your deductible — insurers treat it as fraud and it can put your claim at risk. Ask your agent if anyone offers. Our post on questions to ask a roofing contractor covers the rest.

The week after the storm

Day one is safety and photos. The next several days are follow-up:

1. Report the claim if the damage is more than a small repair, and write down the claim number.
2. Get a written estimate from a roofer who walks the roof and checks the attic.
3. Keep drying the house. Fans, a dehumidifier and pulling back wet insulation keep a roof leak from turning into a mold problem.
4. Keep every receipt for anything you paid to protect the house.
5. Be there for the adjuster's visit if you can, with your photos ready.
6. Hold off on permanent repairs until the insurer has seen the damage or told you to go ahead.

Siding, gutters and windows

The same wind that lifts shingles damages other things. On the windward side, look for vinyl siding that has cracked or blown off, bent or pulled gutters, torn window screens and damaged soffit panels. These often go on the same claim as the roof, so photograph them in the same pass. Wet spots around windows after a nor'easter may be a window or siding problem rather than the roof.

Before the next storm: a head start

The best time to prepare for a claim is on a calm day:

• Photograph every slope of the roof now, from the ground, along with the gutters and the attic. "Before" pictures make "after" pictures far more useful.
• Save your declarations page somewhere you can reach from your phone, and know your deductible.
• Write down the roof's install year and keep the invoice.
• Trim limbs that hang over the roof.
• Keep a roofer's number handy so you're not choosing one from a door hanger the morning after.

Your storm damage roof checklist, short version

Keep this on your phone:

• Stay off the roof; watch for downed lines
• Photograph the yard, each slope, the gutters and the inside
• Check ceilings, upper walls and the attic
• Tarp any open area, or have it tarped
• Decide whether it's a claim; report it if it is
• Get a written estimate with photos
• Check any contractor's DPOR license before signing
• Keep receipts and notes

If water is coming in now

Call for emergency tarping. A tarp is $300–$700, it's often covered as emergency mitigation (check your policy), and it's the difference between replacing shingles and replacing shingles plus drywall plus a bedroom floor.

Common questions

Should I get on the roof to check for damage?

No. Wet, storm-damaged shingles are slick and can tear loose under your feet. Binoculars, your phone's zoom and a look in the attic tell you most of what you need. Leave the roof itself to a roofer.

How soon should I call my insurer?

Promptly. Most policies require prompt notice, so call once the house is safe and you've taken photos, even if you aren't sure the damage is big enough for a claim.

What if I can't see any damage but I'm still worried?

Check the attic and upstairs ceilings after the next rain. If those are dry and nothing turned up in the yard, the roof probably came through. If the roof is older or a big limb came down nearby, a roofer's look within a couple of weeks is cheap peace of mind.