Roofing Expert Warns Of Damage Following Winter Storm

Many Oklahomans are seeing roof damage because of the recent ice storm and some of that damage could be worse than it seems.

This unusual October ice storm, we took a beating. The brunt of it on the roofs of homes with heavy limbs weighed down by hundreds of pounds of thick ice. 

Now that the ice is melted it’s time to see just how bad the damage is.

“It’s really hard to assess damage from the ground. If you’re going to go check your roof be extremely careful especially after an ice storm. There’s a lot of things that could happen as far as broken rafters and things like that,” said Greg Derr of Triple Diamond Construction.

For smaller branches, you can gently lift them off yourself. Never drag branches. It could damage your roofing shingles and cause leaks. 

Always take pictures of any damage for insurance, roofing experts said.

“You should never move anything without snapping pictures first. That’s a very common mistake for people to get in a rush. They remove everything. There’s damage. Now there’s no documentation, so be sure to take a lot of pictures. You can never have enough,” said Derr.

If you notice leaking or heavy large branches, call your insurance company and have the branches removed by a professional ASAP.  

“If you have obvious leaks where there’s water pouring in and things like that you want to address that immediately. And then go from there as far as addressing the entire scope of damage. If you just have some minor repairs that were causing you some issues, your out of pocket expense may not be that much,” said Derr.

And if the damage is minor:

“Be patient. Relax. If you don’t have immediate damage, then allow professionals to get to you when they can,” said Derr.

When shopping for a roofer always look for one that is insured and bonded and one that can provide you with references.