Storm

Storm Damage Roof Checklist for Murfreesboro Homeowners

By Murfreesboro Roof Repair · September 6, 2026 · 7 min read

Rutherford County's storm season runs March through May, with a second act in November and December. What arrives is mostly straight-line wind off a squall line, sometimes 60–70 mph, with small hail a few times a spring and, every few years, a tornado; the Good Friday tornado in April 2009 tracked across the north side of Murfreesboro. Here is what to do the morning after, in order.

Before you go outside

1. Check the ceilings in every room, including closets. A fresh stain, a bubble in the paint, or a drip means water is already in. Put a bucket down and, if water is near a light fixture, turn off that breaker.
2. Look in the attic with a flashlight if you can get there safely. Wet insulation or daylight through the deck tells you how urgent this is.
3. Check the National Weather Service Nashville page for what actually came through — wind speed, hail size, any tornado warning. Your insurer will want the date and the event.

The ground walk

Do this from the yard and the street. Do not get on the roof; wet shingles on a two-story are how people get hurt after storms.

• Shingles in the yard or the neighbor's yard. Note which slope they came from.
• Lifted or flapping tabs on any slope, especially south- and west-facing, which take the wind here.
• Bare spots where a shingle is missing and you can see black underlayment or wood.
• Creased shingles. Harder to see from the ground — a horizontal line across a shingle where it folded back and lay down again. Every crease is a broken mat and a leak within a year.
• Ridge cap shingles missing or cocked.
• Metal bent — drip edge, ridge vent, roof vents, the cap on the chimney.
• Gutters full of granules, which means hail or heavy wind stripped the surface.
• Limbs on the roof or leaning on it. Hackberries and Bradford pears come apart in wind; the big oaks near Stones River drop limbs when the ground is soaked.
• Siding, screens, the mailbox, the fence. Damage to those tells the adjuster the wind was real.

Photograph everything

Time-stamped photos from the ground, before anyone touches anything. The slope with the damage, the shingles on the lawn, the limbs, the water inside, the neighbor's fence. If a tarp goes on before the adjuster comes, these photos are what proves the claim.

The calls, in this order

1. A local roofer for a tarp if there is exposed deck or water inside. Emergency tarping in Murfreesboro is $300–$700 and is usually reimbursed by the claim as mitigation. Keep the receipt. See the storm damage page for how the process works.
2. Your insurer, with the photos and the date. Get the claim number and the adjuster's name. Do not describe the damage as worse or better than it is.
3. Your HOA, if you have one and the roof will need replacing. Most subdivisions off Blackman Road and Veterans Parkway have color rules and want a submission.

What not to sign

The trucks with out-of-state plates arrive within two days of any big storm, working the subdivisions street by street. Some are legitimate. Many are not licensed in Tennessee. Whatever they are, do not sign an assignment of benefits or a contingency agreement on your doorstep. That paper gives them control of your claim, and it can be very hard to get back. Ask any roofer for their Tennessee license class and check it on the state's lookup before you sign anything. Our post on questions to ask a roofing contractor has the list.

When to file and when not to

Many Tennessee policies now carry a separate wind and hail deductible of 1–2% of the dwelling coverage. On a $400,000 house that is $4,000–$8,000, and a $600 repair should not go through the claim at all.

After the adjuster

If the adjuster's estimate covers one slope and your roofer's photos show creases on two, ask for a re-inspection with the roofer present. If the roof is a 2010 builder-grade three-tab and the claim pays for half of it, talk to your roofer about putting the payout toward a full replacement. On those roofs it usually makes sense.

Inside the house: limiting the damage

While you wait for a tarp, a few things keep a small leak from becoming a big one.

• Move furniture, rugs and electronics out from under any drip.
• If a ceiling is sagging with water, put a bucket under it and make a small hole at the lowest point so it drains in one place.
• Pull back wet carpet so the pad can dry, and run fans or a dehumidifier.
• Keep everything you remove, or photograph it with the date before it goes out.
• Shut off the breaker for any circuit where water is near a fixture or outlet.

None of this is wasted effort. Water damage gets worse by the hour, and what you did to limit it is part of the story your insurer will want to hear.

Check the gutters and the yard twice

Some storm damage only shows after the debris settles. Two or three days after the storm, look again: granules pile up in the gutters and at the downspouts after the next rain, and a lifted shingle that lay flat the first morning may be standing up after a breezy afternoon. Walk the yard for nails, pieces of flashing and bits of shingle, which tell you which slope took the wind. Add anything new to your photos with the date, so the record shows what the storm did rather than what happened later.

Keep a storm file

Start a folder, paper or on your phone, the morning after. Put in the date and time of the storm, the weather service notes, your photos, the tarp receipt, the claim number, the adjuster's name and number, every quote, and a log of who you spoke to and when. It takes ten minutes a day and saves hours later if anything is questioned.

The short version: a storm damage roof checklist for Murfreesboro

1. Check ceilings and the attic
2. Look up what the storm actually was
3. Walk the yard, never the roof
4. Photograph everything, time-stamped
5. Tarp exposed decking
6. Call your insurer with the photos
7. Tell your HOA if a replacement is likely
8. Sign nothing on the doorstep
9. Check every contractor's Tennessee license
10. Keep every receipt in one place

The week after

Once the tarp is on and the claim is filed, the rest is scheduling. Non-emergency repairs after a big storm in this county run three to six weeks out. A tarp that is properly nailed down through wood strips holds for months, so do not let a "we can do it tomorrow" pitch push you into a roofer you have not checked.

Common questions

How soon after a storm should I check my roof?

The next morning, once it is light and the wind has dropped. Check from the ground and inside the house first. If you find nothing, look again after the next rain, because some damage only shows once water finds the hole.

Should I climb up and put a tarp on myself?

Not on a two-story, a steep roof, or a wet one. Falls after storms are common and serious. A contractor tarp costs a few hundred dollars and is usually treated as mitigation in a claim.

My neighbors are filing claims. Should I?

Your roof is the only one that matters to your policy. If yours has a few lifted tabs and no water inside, a repair below the deductible is often the smarter choice.