The Concern with Hail Damage

8/25/2022 (Permalink)

Hail damage has increased over the past few years, with billions of dollars in repair costs every year across the US, hail is one of the most expensive repair costs overall. In 2017, there were 6,045 hailstorms recorded (NOAA) coming out to an average of over 16 storms a day. While some of the storms may have been mild, all it takes is one violent storm to cause damage to your entire home. 

The worry with hail is that the impact will leave broken windows, damage your roof and chips in the siding. While most likely not deadly, these can be additional costs which you don't want to deal with. The worst fear with hail is that the damage will create miniscule cracks which will allow water to seep in and damage your ceiling. Unlike traditional water damage, which can usually be detected easily, you may never know about the leak coming from the damaged roof until it is too late. 

What You Can Do

There are steps you can take to be best prepared for a violent hailstorm. Before the storm arrives, you can have your roofing updated to be impact resistant. Paying for upgrades will almost always be less expensive then waiting until after storms for repairs. 

Keep supplies ready for a storm. Once a storm comes through, it may knock out power so having a generator as well as food and water will be important. In addition, have plywood or other materials for boarding up damaged windows until they can be replaced and repaired. If you don't have any, at SERVPRO of Bismarck, we respond to storm damage and board up windows of all sizes until they can be replaced. 

Your insurance policy should cover all things involved with hail so that you don't need to worry about the cost of damage and sleep soundly knowing that you're covered.

Although there is nothing you can do to completely protect yourself from hail damage, you can take steps to reduce the impact and give yourself some peace of mind for when it happens. The best thing you can do is be prepared and be educated about what the impact of a hailstorm could be.