Wind, limb or hail damage on a North Syracuse, NY roof: find out what the storm did

The county hazard plan names five parks in the village as vulnerable to damaging wind, and it gives the same reason for each: aging trees. The parks are Heritage, Lonergan, Kennedy, Toll Road and Centerville. The plan describes the park trees, not your roof, but it tells you where limbs are a reasonable worry.

If a branch has landed, think about what it did on its way down. The shingles may be torn. The deck can have a dent or a crack that you cannot see from the ground. Ask the roofer to write what they find under the branch, not just on top of it.

Keep off the roof, keep people clear below, and leave the limb where it is until someone is ready to cut it. Your photographs are more useful taken from the ground anyway.

Wind of the strength that breaks limbs also lifts shingles. Look along the ridge and the edges for creased tabs and bare strips, then walk the yard and driveway for pieces. Tell the roofer where you found them so the first look goes to the right slope.

If a ceiling stain shows in the days after the gust, mention it with the date when you book.

NOAA hail reports for the village reach one inch, in June 2008 and again in April 2011. That does not settle the question for your roof. Do not assume damage, and do not assume there is none.

Look at what is soft: vent caps, metal trim, the cap on the chimney. Small dents there suggest hail reached the roof. Then ask the roofer to say, slope by slope, whether the shingles show bruises, bare spots or cracked tabs. That written description is the record worth keeping.

One slope may take far more than another, so a full replacement is not the automatic answer. Ask the roofer to write the smaller job and the bigger one together, and decide with both on the page.

If you have an older roof with two layers, hail and wind do not change the rule that a new covering cannot go over them. Say what you know about earlier roofs, because it changes what the roofer prices when the damage is large.

If you plan to make a claim, read your policy first. New York's financial services department uses a roof example to show how depreciation shrinks a payout and how a home covered at 80 percent of replacement cost or more is treated. Claims are not something we handle, and what a policy pays is a question for your insurer.

If a stranger offers roof work at your door, slow down. Ask for the written contract, the three business day notice to cancel and the roofer's workers' compensation coverage, which you can look up in the state's public search. Hold off on any cash until you have signed.

If an open hole needs a stop-gap, a tarp is sensible. Ask whether it is part of the visit or a separate line, and take your photographs before it goes on.

List the dates in one place: the storm, the first stain, the photographs, the day you called. If an adjuster is coming, hand that list over with the roofer's written description, and tell us what came down when you book.