How does a tornado change a roof compared with an ordinary storm?
A tornado's wind is stronger and comes from more directions in a short time, so it lifts whole sections, tears decking and bends flashing that an ordinary storm would leave in place.
Ordinary storm wind lifts the edges of a covering and drives rain in at the weak points. A tornado adds a rotating, much stronger wind that can lift a whole section of covering at once, pull the decking away from its fixings and bend metal flashing out of line. The damage is therefore wider and deeper than an ordinary wind event, and it often involves the structure beneath the covering as well as the covering itself.
The FACTS sheet for this site records three tornado events in Muscogee County, each with its own pattern of damage. The 1997 event damaged a business roof on Martin Luther King Boulevard and the gymnasium roof at Hardaway High School. The 2007 event's heaviest damage was in the 6200 block of Brookstone Boulevard. The 2009 event crossed from Phenix City into Columbus. A roofer who knows the pattern of these events is better placed to read the damage on a roof that was in one of their paths.
- Lifted sections of covering, not only single shingles
- Decking pulled from its fixings and displaced
- Flashing bent out of line at penetrations
Why is the record so important after a tornado?
Because the damage is wide and the claim depends on proving what the storm did and what it did not. A dated record with photographs and a sketch of the damage is what makes the claim readable.
After a tornado the scene changes quickly. Debris is moved, tarps go on and neighbours clear their yards, and by the time an adjuster visits, the pattern of the damage may be hard to read. A record made on the day, before the clearing starts, shows where the wind went and what it took.
The record should include a simple sketch of the roof with the damaged slopes marked, the photographs with their positions and a list of the items found but not yet repaired. It is kept with the policy papers. The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance takes complaints from homeowners about claims, and the record is the evidence that makes any complaint specific.
- A sketch of the roof with the damaged slopes marked
- Photographs with the position and the date
- A list of the items found but not repaired
What can be repaired and what needs replacing?
Sections of covering and single pieces of flashing can often be repaired. Decking that has been pulled or cracked, and framing that has shifted, is usually replaced or strengthened.
Repair is the right answer where the covering can be lifted and replaced in sections and the decking underneath is sound. Replacement is the right answer where the decking has split, where the covering is brittle enough to crack when lifted, or where the damage covers most of one slope. The roofer should say which applies and show the evidence.
Framing damage is a different question. Rafters or joists that have shifted or cracked need an engineer's look before the new covering goes on, and the roofer names that step in the scope rather than assuming the framing is sound.
- Sound decking with lifted covering: repair in sections
- Split decking or brittle covering: replace the section
- Shifted framing: engineer's look before the covering
What should the written scope say?
Each damaged area, the repair or the replacement for it, the material, the decking allowance, the flashing lines and the test after the work, with each item tied to the record.
A tornado scope should be specific. It should name each slope and each area, the repair or replacement made in it and the material used. The decking is a separate line, priced per sheet, so the homeowner can see what a hidden problem costs. The flashing and the ridge are separate lines too.
The scope should also say what was found and not repaired, and why. A roof that has a sound area and a damaged one should be recorded that way, so the next roofer knows what was done and what remains.
- Each slope and area named in the scope
- Decking as a separate line, priced per sheet
- Items found but not repaired, named with the reason
