Storm Damage on a Thunder Bay Roof: What to Do in the First 48 Hours

A summer wind event comes through Thunder Bay. You wake up to shingles on the lawn, a tree on the eave, or a wet spot on the ceiling. The next two days matter. What you do, and what you do not do, decides whether your insurance pays cleanly, whether the damage stays contained, and whether you end up with a real roofer or a tailgate operator who blows through town and disappears.

This is the practical 48-hour playbook. It is not exciting. It works.

Hour 1: Safety First, Then Stay on the Ground

Before anything else: people first, structure second. If anyone is hurt or if the structure is compromised (visible sagging, a tree through the roof, exposed wiring), call for help. Get out of any room with a ceiling that is bowing or actively dripping heavily.

Once everyone is safe, do not climb the roof. Not even to “just take a look.” A storm-damaged roof can have:

• Loose, lifted shingles you cannot see from the edge
• Hidden cracks in decking
• Wet, slick surfaces from rain
• Loose flashing or tree limbs ready to shift
• Compromised structural elements

A fall from a residential roof is one of the most common serious home-injury accidents in Canada. Any roof assessment that requires going up there is a job for someone with safety equipment and training. Stay on the ground.

Hours 1-4: Document Everything From the Ground

Insurance claims live or die on documentation. The faster and more thorough yours is, the better your claim goes.

What to photograph from the ground:

• Wide shots of every side of the house showing the roof, eaves, and any debris. Use your phone, take more than you think you need.
• Close-ups of visible damage with zoom. Missing shingles, lifted ridge cap, displaced flashing, hail dings on metal vents, downed eavestrough.
• The debris on the ground. Shingles in the yard, branches, anything that came off the roof.
• Any tree damage to or near the roof, with context shots showing where the tree is relative to the house.
• Date and time stamps. Most phones add these automatically. Confirm yours does.

If you can, take photos from a second-floor window for elevated angles. Drone footage is great if you have access, but do not rent one for the first time today.

For interior damage:

• Every wet spot on a ceiling or wall, with a wide shot showing the room and a close-up of the stain
• Any standing water on the floor
• Damaged furniture, electronics, flooring in the affected area
• Buckets, towels, anything you used to catch water, photographed in place

Keep a list of damaged items with rough purchase dates and values. Save the photos to cloud storage. Email them to yourself. Make a folder for the claim.

Hours 1-8: Stop the Damage From Spreading

You have a duty under your insurance policy to “mitigate” further damage. That means taking reasonable steps to prevent things from getting worse. It does not mean climbing onto a wet roof.

Reasonable mitigation:

• Move valuables and electronics out of any rooms with active leaks
• Lay down buckets, towels, and plastic sheeting to catch ongoing drips
• Pull up rugs in affected areas
• Open closet and cabinet doors in walls with water intrusion so the air can move
• Turn off power to any electrical fixture or outlet that has water near it, at the breaker, if you know how to do it safely. If you do not, call an electrician.

What not to do:

• Do not throw away damaged materials before the adjuster sees them
• Do not start ripping out drywall in the first 48 hours unless an active leak demands it
• Do not climb onto the roof to fix anything

If you have small dry interior items you can move, move them. If you have soaked drywall, leave it for the adjuster.

Hours 4-24: Call Your Insurance, Start the Claim

Call your insurer’s claims line. Not your broker, the claims line on the back of your policy or on their website. They will:

1. Open a claim and give you a claim number
2. Ask for a description of the damage
3. Tell you what your policy covers and what your deductible is
4. Schedule an adjuster to inspect, sometimes same-week, sometimes longer

Have your policy number, the date and time of the storm, and the photos ready. Tell them honestly what you see. Do not exaggerate, and do not minimize.

Ask explicitly:

• Is emergency tarping covered? (Usually yes, under “mitigation” or “loss prevention.”)
• Do I need to get multiple repair quotes? (Some policies require two, some leave it to you.)
• Are you sending a preferred contractor, or am I choosing one? Pay attention to this. You usually have the right to choose your own contractor.

Get the adjuster’s name and contact in writing.

Hours 24-48: Tarping Decision

If the roof has a real hole or large area of lifted shingles and rain is in the forecast, you need an emergency tarp. If the roof is mostly intact and weather looks clear for several days, you can wait for an adjuster’s visit before any work happens.

Tarping is roof work. It is dangerous. It is also fast and cheap relative to what unchecked water damage costs. We do emergency tarping as part of emergency roof repair in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area. A proper tarp covers the damaged area with overlap, is anchored at the high side under unaffected shingles, and is weighted or fastened to handle wind. A bad tarp blows off in the first gust and you are back where you started.

Do not let someone you do not know tarp your roof for a few hundred dollars in cash. That is often the lead-in to a bigger scam.

How to Spot a Storm Chaser

After a wind or hail event, out-of-town crews appear in Thunder Bay. They knock doors, offer “free inspections,” tell homeowners their roof is destroyed, and want a signed contract today.

Patterns to watch for: out-of-province plates, knocking before you called anyone, “we are working in the neighbourhood and noticed your roof,” pressure to sign for “today’s storm pricing,” an offer to “waive your deductible” in exchange for the work (this is insurance fraud, do not sign it), a vague company name with no local address and a 1-800 number, and “we handle everything with insurance” which often means inflated claims with the difference pocketed.

A storm chaser’s warranty is worthless. They are not here next winter when the patch they did fails. The questions we recommend asking any roofer apply double after a storm. A real local contractor answers them all. A chaser deflects.

A Real Inspection and What Insurance Covers

Once tarping is handled, get a real roofing inspection from a local company, not the adjuster (who works for the insurance company) and not the door-knocker. A good local inspection identifies all storm damage including what is not visible from the ground, documents the condition with photos for the claim, provides a written estimate that meets the insurance standard, and tells you honestly whether the roof needs repair or replacement. A roof inspection gives you an independent assessment.

Wind, hail, and falling-object damage (like a tree limb through the roof) are generally covered under standard Ontario homeowner policies. Coverage details vary. Watch for actual cash value (ACV) versus replacement cost (a big difference on an older roof), age limits that some insurers apply, your deductible (which you pay regardless), and exclusions for poor maintenance. More on the insurance side in our insurance guide.

The Takeaway

After a Thunder Bay storm, the order is simple. Safety, document from the ground, call insurance, mitigate further damage, tarp if needed, and get a real local inspection. Do not climb the roof, do not sign with a door-knocker, do not let someone “handle the claim” without your insurer in the loop.

If you have storm damage and need a Thunder Bay roofer to get the tarp on and the inspection done properly, call Sleeping Giant Roofing at (807) 501-9192. We do emergency response and we will be here when the warranty matters.