What To Do After Hurricane Roof Damage in Louisiana
By Acadiana Roof Restoration LLC | Scott, LA | Veteran-Owned | IBHS FORTIFIED Certified | NRCIA Forensic Roof Inspector
The First 24 Hours
Do not climb the roof. Storm damaged decking fails under weight and more Louisiana homeowners are injured after the storm than during it. Stay clear of downed lines. If you smell gas or see wiring near the roofline, call 911 and your utility before anything else.
Photograph everything before you move a single piece of debris. Your insurer needs to see the damage in its original post-storm condition. Once you sweep water or pull a branch off the roof, you have altered evidence you cannot recreate.
What To Photograph
Wide shots from all four sides showing the full roofline. Then close shots of missing shingles, lifted or cracked flashing, dented vents and turbines, and any debris still resting on the roof.
Inside: water stains on ceilings and walls, wet flooring, damaged furniture and belongings, and visible attic damage including daylight through the deck.
Photograph your street and neighboring roofs too. Evidence that the whole block took wind damage undercuts an adjuster's argument that your loss was pre-existing wear.
Emergency Tarping Is Not Optional
Louisiana humidity and post-storm rain turn a roof breach into mold growth within 48 to 72 hours. Your policy requires you to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss. A homeowner who leaves an open roof for a week can have the resulting interior damage denied as a failure to mitigate.
Keep every receipt. Emergency mitigation is reimbursable under most Louisiana policies.
Understand Your Deductible Before You Call
If the damage came from a named storm, your deductible is likely a percentage of insured value rather than a flat dollar amount. A home insured for 250,000 dollars with a 2 percent named storm deductible carries a 5,000 dollar deductible. At 5 percent it is 12,500 dollars.
This is why some homeowners discover their claim is worth less than they assumed. Know the number before you file.
Filing the Claim
Call your carrier and record the claim number, the adjuster's name, and the deductible type. Ask specifically about reimbursement for temporary repairs and where to send receipts.
Under Louisiana law the insurer must begin loss adjustment within 14 days of notification, except in catastrophic loss. Payment is due within 30 days of satisfactory proof of loss for non-catastrophic claims, and 90 days for catastrophic claims under Act 3 of 2024.
The Mistakes That Cost Homeowners Money
Signing with a storm chaser. Out of state crews arrive within days of a Louisiana hurricane, sign homeowners to assignment of benefits contracts, and are unreachable when the work fails. Verify a Louisiana contractor license and a physical local address.
Authorizing permanent repairs before the adjuster inspects. You destroy the evidence your claim depends on.
Accepting the first estimate without a contractor present. An adjuster works for the carrier. Having a licensed roofer meet the adjuster on the roof is the single highest leverage thing a homeowner can do.
Missing damage that is not visible from the ground. Granule loss, mat fracturing, and lifted seals often do not show until the next rain. An NRCIA forensic inspection documents them at claim time rather than after denial.
How Acadiana Roof Restoration Works Storm Claims
We document with geo-tagged photographs, meet your adjuster on site, and identify damage that is commonly missed in a walk-around. Our inspector holds NRCIA forensic roof inspector credentials. If the roof can be restored rather than replaced we will tell you, and if it needs replacing we can rebuild it to IBHS FORTIFIED standard so the next storm does less.