Eastern Nebraska sits in one of the more active hail corridors in the country. Every spring we get calls from homeowners in Omaha, Papillion, and Bellevue who watched golf-ball hail come down and want to know what to do next. Here is the short version.
First, do not climb on your roof. More people get hurt inspecting storm damage than you would expect, and shingles are more fragile right after impact. Look from the ground and from a window instead.
From the ground, check the obvious tells. Look at your gutters and downspouts for a buildup of shingle granules — they look like coarse black sand. Check your gutters, garage door, window screens, and any metal vents or flashing for dents. Metal dents easily, so it is often the clearest evidence that hail hit hard enough to matter.
Then check your siding and windows. Hail rarely comes straight down; wind drives it sideways into the walls. Look for cracks, chips, and pockmarks on the side of the house the storm came from. Check window seals and screens too.
The damage you cannot see is the reason to get a professional inspection. Hail bruises shingles — it knocks granules loose and fractures the mat underneath without necessarily breaking the surface. A bruised roof often looks fine from the driveway and starts leaking a year or two later, long after your claim window has closed.
About insurance: most policies cover sudden hail and wind damage, but nearly all of them have a filing deadline, often one year from the date of the storm. Document everything with photos and dates. Do not sign anything with a contractor who shows up uninvited the day after a storm and pressures you to commit on the spot.
We inspect roofs for free, take photos of what we find, and will meet your adjuster at the property. If it does not need replacing, we will tell you that too. Call (402) 290-0078.