Storm and hurricane roof damage in Miami, FL

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.

Call now and say what you can see from the ground and where the water is coming in; do not get on the roof to look.

Need a roofer? Call 786-353-7450

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.

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.