The Post-Storm Exterior Inspection Checklist
Quick Answer
The sirens have stopped and the sun is out. Before you call insurance, you need to conduct a safe, ground-level assessment of your property to identify legitimate damage.
After a massive storm system sweeps across Central Iowa, the immediate impulse is to climb onto the roof to look for missing shingles. The leading cause of post-storm homeowner injuries is falling off a wet, compromised roof.
You do not need to scale a 30-foot ladder to determine if a storm has damaged your home. Elite contractors use a systematic "ground-up" forensic approach. You can perform this same assessment safely from your driveway with a decent pair of binoculars.
Step 1: Scan for Lethal Hazards
- Downed Power Lines: Before approaching the house, scan the perimeter for severed electrical lines. Treat every downed wire as live and intensely lethal. Stay at least 50 feet away and call MidAmerican Energy immediately.
- Leaking Gas: If you smell rotten eggs or hear a hissing sound near the gas meter, the wind or flying debris may have severed a valve. Evacuate immediately and dial 911.
- Widowmakers: Look up into any mature trees overhanging your house or driveway. Search for large, heavy branches that have broken off but are caught in the canopy—these can drop silently and crush you without warning.
Step 2: The Ground-Level Collateral Sweep
If your roof took a severe beating from hail, there will be forensic evidence at eye level. Adjusters call this "collateral damage." Walk the perimeter of your house and document everything.
The Collateral Damage Hitlist:
- ✔️ Gutters & Downspouts: Are they severely dented, ripped away from the fascia board, or packed tightly with torn shingle granules (it looks like black sand)?
- ✔️ Window Screens: Heavy hail will rip semi-circular tears straight through fiberglass window screens.
- ✔️ Siding & Paint: Look at the windward side of the house (usually the West or North). Is the vinyl siding cracked or completely shattered? Is the paint chipped off the wood siding in circular patterns?
- ✔️ AC Units: Check the delicate aluminum fins on your exterior AC condenser. If they are mashed flat against the unit, airflow is choked, and the unit is severely damaged.
Step 3: The Binocular Roof Inspection
Step backward into your yard or across the street, raise your binoculars, and scan the highest points of the roof systematically from left to right.
- Missing Shingles: Spotting exposed OSB wood deck or black underlayment is an emergency. It means the roof is functionally open to the elements.
- Bent Metal: Look at the metal exhaust vents and chimney flashing projecting out of the roof. Are they severely dented or bent backward by the wind?
- Dimples: Under the glare of the sun, you can often see massive hail strikes as dark, circular "bruises" scattered violently across the fiberglass shingles.
Your Next Move
If you find any significant collateral damage (even if the roof looks okay from the ground), do not assume your roof survived unscathed. The kinetic energy required to dent an aluminum downspout is absolutely enough to fracture shingle matting.
Instead of crawling onto the roof yourself, call an elite local roofing contractor for a free, comprehensive drone or harness inspection. They will verify the binocular evidence before you formally commit to filing a massive insurance claim.