Nearly everyone who has been in Colorado for at least one summer has seen hail. Most of the time, hailstones are relatively small and don’t do a whole lot of damage. Every once in a while, though, a major hailstorm can hit your home. Hail can get as large as a baseball, though it can cause damage anytime it’s larger than a quarter. If you experience one of these storms, here’s what you can do afterward.
DOCUMENT THE STORM
Take photos of the hail around your home. If at all possible, lay a hailstone next to a ruler to note its size. Jot down, too, the date and time of the storm. You probably won’t need this information, but occasionally you will need to prove that the storm happened when and where you say that it did.
CHECK FOR URGENT ISSUES
Look around your home and see if the hail has done any damage that needs to be fixed urgently. It can break windows, cause roof leaks, and more. If you have any of these at your house, do whatever you need to do to fix the situation temporarily. Clean up any broken glass and board up your broken windows. Put a tarp or other plastic down where the roof is leaking and clean up any water that has already gotten inside. Then, contact contractors who can get these things fixed permanently. If you live in an HOA, make sure you abide by their guidelines and approval process for any work you have done on your home.
LOOK FOR AND DOCUMENT OTHER DAMAGE
Your home may have sustained damage even if nothing urgent has happened. Check your roof for visible damage. You may see shingles on the ground or bare spots on the roof. Photograph these if you can. Check your bushes, shrubs, and other vegetation for damage. Make sure you assess your outdoor appliances, like air conditioners, for damage, too. Finally, check for any slow leaks or damage to the siding or paint on your house. You may want to get your roof inspected by a roofer or a hail damage company. This is especially true if you can’t see it very well or you think there might be damage but you don’t want to climb up yourself and check.
FILE AN INSURANCE CLAIM
Once you know what has been damaged and how extensive the damage is, file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance policy in Colorado. Because the state experiences so much hail every summer, they should know exactly what to do with your claim and how to handle your repairs. They will likely send an insurance adjuster to your home, who will assess the financial cost of repairing all of the damage the storm did. Your contractors may even meet with the adjuster to talk everything over. Recovering from a hailstorm can take a while, but in the end, your home should be as good as new! Keep working with your contractors and your insurance until you have everything you need and are happy with how everything turned out.