Storm and hurricane roof damage in Miami-Dade

After a storm the order of operations matters: stop the water, document the damage, then repair. A contractor can tarp a roof the same day or the next, photograph what they find for your insurer, and come back for the permanent repair once the weather and the claim allow.

This is a phone call, not a form. Call now and a local contractor calls you back to set up the emergency visit.

Right now, before the roofer arrives

• Do not get on the roof. Wet tile and shingle are slick, and a damaged deck can give way.
• If water is coming through a ceiling, cut power to that room at the breaker and put a container under the drip. A small hole punched in a sagging ceiling bubble releases the water before it spreads.
• Move furniture and electronics out from under the leak.
• Photograph everything: the ceiling, the yard where tiles landed, the roof from the ground.
• Call your insurer to open the claim, but do not wait for an adjuster before tarping. Most policies expect you to prevent further damage.

What storm damage looks like here

• Tile lifted or blown off at ridges, hips, and eaves, with the underlayment now exposed to rain.
• Shingles and ridge caps peeled back on older shingle roofs, especially in Homestead and the south county.
• Punctures from branches, coconuts, and neighbors’ debris.
• Flat roofs with membrane lifted at the edges or drains blocked by debris, leading to ponding.
• Flashing torn at walls and chimneys, and vents and turbines gone.

Insurance claims

We do not give claims advice. What a contractor does is document: photos, a written description of the damage, and an estimate for the repair. That goes to your insurer, who decides. Be careful with anyone who shows up uninvited after a storm offering to handle the claim for you; Florida law limits what contractors can do with assignments of benefits, and the county has seen every version of the post-storm scam. Ask for the CCC license number and verify it.

After the tarp

The permanent repair follows the same rules as any roof repair or replacement in Miami-Dade: HVHZ-approved materials and a permit when required. If the roof was already near the end of its life, the storm may have made the replacement decision for you; the contractor can quote both a repair and a replacement so you and your insurer can compare.