High power winds and falling limbs are another culprit of Missouri roof storm damage. In Missouri, it is not uncommon for there to be gusts of winds 60 mph and above during storms. These high-speed winds can knock limbs loose from trees around your house, blow other debris onto your roof, and even lift shingles. The roofers at CoMo Premium Exteriors have even seen roof damage from a trampoline being blown onto a roof.
Wind Damage to Shingles
When high speed winds come from the right direction it puts stress on the seal of your shingles and can cause shingles to lift and pull away from the decking, leaving your roof vulnerable to potential leaks. Powerful winds can also pull shingles from their nails. For newer roofs the individual shingles can be repaired to prevent further damage. In the case of older roofs, once a shingle has lifted from its nail or the seal is broken, it should be replaced. Nailing a damaged shingle back down or trying to reseal the damaged shingle to an already old roof will not be able to restore it to the same integrity and quality as before the damage.
Because the shingles of most roofs work in an overlapping system when one shingle lifts because of wind, usually the other shingles around it are compromised as well. This means that strong enough winds could leave an entire slope of your roof in need of repair or replacement.
Another danger to your roof during high winds are limbs close to the house rubbing against shingles damaging them or hitting vents or pipes on your roof causing damage to them and creating an area for a leak.
Hard to Spot Missouri Roof Storm Damage
Not all Missouri roof storm damage is visible like shingle damage. The interior structure of your roof can also be damaged by wind and trees. For example, if a limb falls onto your roof the shingles may not look damaged, but underneath the rafters that hold up your roof could have been damaged from the impact. Because of the risk for invisible damages, any time a sizable limb or other debris hits your roof you should get your roof inspected.
Insurance and Missouri Roof Storm Damage
When you file an insurance claim for roof storm damage often the insurance company will want to pay for as little as possible and will only offer to buy the most damaged slopes rather than the whole roof. While it would be better to replace just one or two slopes than none, roofing manufacturers will typically recommend repairing the full roof because the roof is all an interconnected unit that is sealed, overlapped, and tied together as one cohesive system. Knowing this about your roof is important because it will help you as a homeowner to determine if you should accept the insurance company’s offer for a partial replacement, dispute the offer for a full replacement, or go out of pocket for a full replacement.
If a homeowner does choose to fight the insurance company for a full roof replacement following damage, the roofing experts at CoMo Premium Exteriors will help you fight to get the repairs you need covered by providing information from your roof inspection and educating you on how unrepaired damages can lead to larger, more expensive, problems in the future.
As is the case with hail damage, there is no time limit following a storm in which you must file your insurance claim for Missouri roof storm damage. However, the sooner the better so that repairs can get underway, leaving your roof compromised for as short a time as possible.
For your Missouri residential roofing needs, contact CoMo Premium Exteriors today.
