1. Stay off the roof
Wet shingles after a storm are the single most common way homeowners get hurt at home. Document from the ground and let somebody insured climb it.
2. Photograph everything at ground level
- Hail on the ground or in your hand next to a coin for scale
- Dents in gutters, downspouts, vents and the mailbox
- Damaged screens, siding and window wraps
- Any debris in the yard or shingle pieces on the ground
- Interior stains or active drips, with the date
3. Write down the date and time
Your carrier ties everything to the date of loss. If you do not know it precisely, note the day you first noticed the storm and the damage, that is what verification is later built around.
4. Stop further damage, but only what is safe
Insurance expects you to mitigate. Move furniture, put a bucket under the drip, tarp a window if you can do it safely from the ground. Keep receipts for anything you buy, those are often reimbursable.
5. Get a documented inspection before you call the carrier
This is the step most people reverse. A free professional inspection tells you whether there is actually enough damage to justify a claim. Filing a claim you cannot win takes up a claim history slot and gains you nothing.
6. Be careful who knocks
Storm chasers arrive in North Georgia neighborhoods within days. Ask any contractor for a local address, a Georgia presence, a real review history and how long they have been at that address. Anyone offering to waive your deductible is telling you how they do business.
Common questions
Most Georgia policies allow somewhere between six and twelve months from the date of loss. Do not use all of it, evidence gets harder to establish over time.