What To Do First After Storm Damage

After storm damage, safety should come first. If your home or business has standing water, electrical concerns, roof damage, broken glass, fallen trees, exposed areas, damaged ceilings, or possible structural issues, avoid unsafe spaces and call emergency help if needed. If it is safe, take reasonable steps to keep the damage from getting worse. This may include placing a bucket under an active leak, moving belongings away from wet areas, covering exposed openings, or contacting a storm damage restoration company for emergency assistance.

Before anything is removed, repaired, dried, or cleaned up, document the scene. Photos and videos can help show what the property looked like before the restoration process begins.

What to document:

• Roof Leaks
• Water Intrusion
• Damaged Ceilings
• Wet Flooring
• Drywall Damage
• Damaged Siding
• Broken/ Cracked Windows
• Damaged Gutters
• Fallen Branches/ Tree Damage
• Standing Water
• Damaged Inventory
• Damaged personal or business property

The more complete your documentation is, the harder it may be for an insurance company to later argue that the damage was not storm-related, was already there, or was not serious enough to include in the claim.

Before the restoration process moves too far forward, it can help to get guidance on the insurance side of the recovery. This does not mean delaying emergency cleanup, tarping, water removal, or repairs. It means making sure your documentation, communication, and claim process are protected while the physical restoration begins.

DiMartino can help you understand what to keep, what questions to ask, what paperwork to review carefully, and how to avoid letting the insurance company narrow the scope of storm damage restoration too early.

Who Calls the Restoration Company?

Many Crown Point property owners are unsure whether they should call the restoration company, wait for the insurance company, or contact a contractor first. In some cases, the homeowner, landlord, or business owner calls directly because water is entering the property, the roof is leaking, debris needs to be removed, or repairs need to begin quickly. In other situations, the insurance company may recommend a preferred vendor, or a contractor may suggest bringing in a restoration team.

There is nothing wrong with getting emergency restoration help when the property needs it. SERVPRO and other restoration companies can play an important role in water removal, drying, cleanup, tarping, debris removal, storm roof repair, and repairs.

The important thing is understanding that each party has a different role. Restoration professionals address the physical storm damage. The insurance company evaluates what it believes should be paid under the policy. Ashford DiMartino & Jones helps property owners protect the insurance recovery connected to the restoration work.

Before assuming the insurance company’s preferred vendor, first estimate, or initial inspection includes the full damage, it may help to have DiMartino review what is happening and make sure your storm damage claim is not being limited too early.

Working With Your Insurance Company

After storm damage, your insurance company may assign an adjuster, request documentation, inspect the property, review contractor or restoration estimates, and decide what it believes is covered. That process can feel official, but the insurance company’s first position is not always the complete picture.

Problems can arise when the adjuster overlooks damage, the estimate is too low, the insurer questions whether the storm caused the damage, or the company approves cleanup but refuses to pay for the full repair. This can happen with storm damage restoration, wind damage, hail damage, roof leaks, storm roof repair, water damage cleanup, and commercial property losses.

Storm damage claims can also raise coverage questions. Depending on the cause and scope of the loss, the insurance company may review whether damage was caused by wind, hail, heavy rain, fallen branches, roof failure, or water entering through a storm-created opening.

Working with your insurance company does not mean accepting everything without question. You have the right to ask questions, review the estimate, compare it against restoration or contractor documentation, and get guidance before signing paperwork or settling the claim.

Ashford DiMartino & Jones helps property owners communicate with the insurance company, review claim documents, and identify when the insurance recovery may not match the actual damage.

Storm Damage Restoration Is More Than Cleanup

Storm damage restoration is often one of the first things people search for after a storm because the visible damage feels urgent. If your roof is leaking, windows are damaged, water is entering the property, or debris is blocking access, cleanup and temporary repairs may need to happen quickly.

But restoration is not only about clearing debris or fixing what is easy to see. It is also about creating a clear record of what caused the damage, what parts of the property were affected, what materials were damaged, what repairs may be needed, and what the insurance company should consider when reviewing the claim.

If that record is incomplete, the insurance company may later argue that certain damage was unrelated, pre-existing, cosmetic, excluded, or not covered. That can leave the property owner paying for repairs that should have been included in the recovery.

This is why early guidance matters. DiMartino helps protect the insurance side of storm damage restoration while contractors and restoration companies focus on the physical work.

Common Problems After Storm Damage

Storm damage claims do not always become difficult right away. Sometimes the problems appear gradually as inspections, estimates, cleanup, and repairs begin.

The insurance company may say the roof damage was old. It may argue that hail damage is cosmetic. It may question whether wind caused the leak. It may approve basic water mitigation but deny related repairs. It may leave out roofing materials, siding, gutters, drywall, flooring, labor, code requirements, overhead, or restoration costs needed to return the property to its pre-loss condition.

In a hail damage roof insurance claim, the insurer may agree that hail occurred in the area but dispute whether your specific roof was damaged. In a storm damage roof insurance claim, the insurer may approve a small patch when the contractor believes more extensive repair or replacement is needed.

These issues matter because a low estimate can shape the rest of the recovery. If the insurance company limits the scope early, storm damage restoration may become slower, harder, and more expensive for the property owner.

Why Documentation Matters Before Repairs Begin

Documentation is one of the most important parts of storm damage restoration. Photos, videos, estimates, invoices, moisture readings, inspection reports, contractor notes, and communication records can all help show what happened and what repairs may be needed.

Before damaged materials are removed, before drywall is torn out, before debris is hauled away, before roofing work begins, and before permanent repairs are completed, the damage should be documented as thoroughly as possible. If emergency tarping, water removal, or cleanup must start right away, document as much as you can before and during that process.

Keep copies of everything connected to the restoration and insurance claim.

This includes:

• Insurance Letters
• Claim Numbers
• Adjuster Reports
• Contractor Estimates
• Restoration Invoices
• Emails
• Text Messages
• Receipts
• Moisture Readings
• Photos from anyone who inspects the property

Ashford DiMartino & Jones can help review these materials and identify whether the insurance company’s estimate matches the documented storm damage.

Storm Damage Restoration for Homes and Businesses

Storm damage can affect homes, businesses, rental properties, apartment buildings, retail spaces, offices, warehouses, and other commercial buildings throughout Crown Point, Lake County, and Northwest Indiana.

Homeowners may be dealing with roof leaks, flooded basements, wind damage, hail damage, damaged siding, broken windows, damaged gutters, wet flooring, or interior water damage. Renters may have questions about damaged belongings, temporary relocation, and what coverage may apply to personal property. Business owners may face damaged inventory, interrupted operations, lost income, tenant concerns, emergency cleanup, and pressure to reopen quickly.

Commercial storm damage claims can become especially complicated because the insurance company may dispute more than the physical damage. It may also question the cause of the damage, the cost of repair, the timeline for restoration, the scope of work, or the financial impact on the business.

Whether the property is residential, rental, or commercial, the recovery process should protect both the building and the insurance claim connected to it.

When To Contact Ashford DiMartino?

You do not have to wait until your storm damage claim is denied to contact Ashford DiMartino & Jones.

It may be helpful to reach out when storm damage first happens, when a restoration company is beginning work, when an insurance adjuster is scheduled to inspect the property, or when the first estimate seems too low.

You should also consider contacting DiMartino if the insurance company is delaying the claim, disputing the cause of the damage, refusing to pay for certain repairs, ignoring contractor estimates, questioning storm damage restoration costs, disputing hail or wind damage, or pressuring you to accept a settlement.

The earlier DiMartino understands what is happening, the easier it may be to help protect documentation, review the policy, and identify issues before the claim becomes harder to fix.

Serving Crown Point and Northwest Indiana

Ashford DiMartino & Jones helps homeowners, renters, business owners, landlords, commercial property owners, homeowners associations, and property managers throughout Crown Point, Lake County, and Northwest Indiana with storm damage restoration guidance, roof damage guidance, and insurance claim support.

The firm understands that storm damage can affect more than a building. It can disrupt your family, your business, your tenants, your income, your belongings, and your sense of stability. When the insurance recovery does not match the actual damage, the process becomes even more stressful.

Whether your loss involves storm damage, storm damage restoration, water damage cleanup, storm roof repair, wind damage, hail damage, roof leaks, commercial property damage, or a disputed insurance claim, Ashford DiMartino & Jones can help protect the recovery while the property restoration moves forward.

(Note: We also have dedicated hubs for our neighbors in Merrillville and Chesterton.)