Storm damage: what to do first

Safety comes before anything else

After a storm, the first task is keeping people and vehicles away from anywhere loose material could still fall — this includes chimneys, ridge tiles and guttering as well as the main covering. A roof that has already lost pieces in high wind may still be shedding material as it settles, particularly if the wind has not fully dropped.

Do not go up a ladder to look closer, and do not attempt to move or remove anything that is hanging or loose. What looks like a simple job from the ground can be far less stable once you are near it.

• Cordon off paths, driveways and gardens below the damage
• Move belongings out of the affected rooms and catch water in containers
• Turn off electrics in any area where water is entering near fittings
• Photograph the damage from ground level and note the date and conditions

What is reasonable to do yourself

From ground level, and only where it is safe to do so, photographs of fallen material, visible gaps in the roof line and any water coming through internally are useful to have. Note the date and, if you can, the approximate time of the storm itself.

If water is entering the property, move anything valuable out of its path and catch what you can, but do not go into the loft or onto the roof to chase the source. That is a job for an inspection once it is safe to carry out.

Make-safe versus permanent repair

Emergency work is about stabilisation: securing or removing loose material, sheeting exposed areas and stopping further water entry. It is deliberately temporary, and it should be described to you as such.

The permanent repair is scoped after an inspection, once the roof can be examined properly and safely. That two-stage approach is normal and protects you from paying for work specified in the dark and the wet.

What we would check

Once conditions allow a safe inspection, the assessment covers more than the point of obvious damage.

• The extent of missing or displaced coverings across each slope
• Ridge, hip, verge and flashing details for movement caused by wind
• Whether water has already reached the loft or ceilings below
• Guttering and downpipes for debris consistent with storm damage
• Whether temporary weatherproofing is needed before permanent repair

Repair or monitor

Isolated storm damage with sound surrounding coverings is normally a straightforward repair. Where nothing has moved and no water has entered, a documented check after the next spell of severe weather may be all that is needed rather than immediate work. Exposed properties across North Cumbria and South West Scotland see winter storms strong enough to displace coverings that would otherwise sit for decades, so a post-storm check is a sensible habit rather than an overreaction.

Insurance and evidence

Most insurers expect you to mitigate further damage, so make-safe work is usually supported. Keep the photographs, the make-safe report and the inspection findings together — dated imagery referenced to the roof is far more persuasive than a written description alone.