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Hurricane Roof Damage in Houston
Before anything else: not every leak after a hurricane should become a claim. Named-storm deductibles run from 2% to 10% of your dwelling coverage, and on many houses that is more than the repair costs.
This page covers how to work out whether filing makes sense, what a tarp actually buys you, and why the leak you are looking at may not be a roof problem at all.
Water coming in right now? Say so when you call, and which room. Active intrusion is prioritised over everything else — emergency response.
The number that decides everything
Your Hurricane Deductible Is Not the One You Remember
Most Texas policies carry three separate deductibles. The one people remember — often 1% or a flat $500 — is for all other perils: theft, fire, a burst pipe. It does not apply to a named storm.
All other perils
1% or $500
Theft, fire, burst pipes. Not your hurricane deductible.
Wind and hail
~2%
Applies to most non-named storm damage.
Hurricane / named storm
2% – 10%
Commonly 2%, but 5% and 10% are seen on Gulf Coast policies.
And the percentage is of your dwelling coverage, not the claim. On a home insured for $400,000, a 5% named-storm deductible is $20,000 — whether the roof damage is $8,000 or $60,000.
Find your Coverage A figure on the declarations page and do the arithmetic now, before a storm rather than after. It changes what you should do when one arrives.
Before you pick up the phone
Should You File at All?
This is not a question most roofers will ask you, because the answer is sometimes no — and a claim you should not have filed can cost you more than the repair would have.
Start here
Where is the water coming from?
From the ground
That is flooding
Water entering at floor level, rising from outside, or coming up through the slab is flood damage — and flood is not covered by your homeowner policy at all. It requires separate flood insurance.
Call your flood carrier, not your homeowner carrier. It is faster, it is the right policy, and it avoids opening a homeowner claim that will not pay for it anyway.
From above
That may be the roof
Water staining a ceiling, running down an interior wall, or dripping from a light fitting came in from above. That is potentially a homeowner claim — but assess it before you file.
Get the roof looked at first. What you learn in that inspection decides whether filing makes sense.
Then do the arithmetic
Not Every Leak Is Worth a Named-Storm Deductible
Plenty of post-hurricane leaks are not hurricane damage. A flashing detail that was already marginal, a pipe boot that had perished, a chimney whose mortar had gone — the storm found the weakness, but the weakness was already there.
Those are repairs, not claims. Many of them cost a few hundred dollars. A 5% named-storm deductible on a $400,000 home is $20,000.
Repair it directly
- Flashing repair, $225–$350
- Pipe boot, $225
- Chimney flashing, $1,200–$1,500
- Ridge vent repair, $350
No deductible, no claim on record, done this week.
File a named-storm claim
- Deductible: 2% to 10% of dwelling coverage
- On a $400,000 home at 5%: $20,000
- Claim recorded permanently
- May affect future premiums and coverage terms
Worth it for a roof replacement. Rarely for a boot.
The honest test: if the repair costs less than your deductible, filing gains you nothing and costs you a claim on your record. We will tell you which side of that line you are on, in writing, before you call anyone.
A case worth knowing about
Everything You Say on a Claim Call Is Recorded, and You Cannot Take It Back
After Hurricane Harvey a homeowner called us with several leaks. They filed a claim, and during the recorded reporting call they mentioned — honestly, and without thinking about it — that the interior damage had started about six months before the storm.
When we inspected the roof, there was not a single shingle with wind or hurricane damage. Every bit of it was hail damage, from an earlier storm.
The claim was for the wrong peril, on the wrong date, and they had said so themselves on a recorded line. None of that could be withdrawn.
The lesson is not that they should have lied — they should not, and we would not advise it. The lesson is to find out what you actually have before you describe it to an insurer. Had the roof been inspected first, they would have known it was a hail claim from a prior storm, with a different deductible and a different date of loss.
Get the roof assessed. Then file, describing what you observed rather than what you assume. The date of loss anchors which deductible applies, which deadlines run, and what is attributed to what.
What a tarp actually buys you
A Tarp Is a Clock, Not a Repair
Tarping is mitigation — it stops water entering while you arrange the repair. Most policies require you to mitigate, so it is a duty as well as sensible. What it is not is a solution.
The moment a tarp goes on, a clock starts. It is fixed to a roof that is already damaged, it is holding against UV and wind it was never designed to survive indefinitely, and every week it stays up it does its job slightly less well.
What a tarp does
- Stops active water entry
- Prevents further interior damage
- Satisfies your policy's mitigation duty
- Buys you time to schedule the real repair
What a tarp does not do
- Fix anything
- Survive the next storm reliably
- Last a season, let alone a year
- Stop the damage underneath getting worse
We have seen this go wrong the same way more than once. A tarp goes on after one storm. The repair is postponed. The next named storm takes the tarp off, the roof is open again, and by then the deck below has been wet for months — so what was a repair has become a replacement, and the second storm's date of loss complicates the claim.
Treat a tarp as days and weeks, not months. If your roof is tarped right now and no repair is scheduled, that is the thing to sort out this week — particularly with a season still running.
The most common call we get, and often not a roof problem
Chimney Leaks Are Frequently Masonry, Not Roofing
After every major storm we get a run of calls about water coming in near a chimney. In a great many of them the roof is fine.
Sometimes it is the roof
Flashing failure. Step flashing, counter flashing or the cricket behind the chimney has lifted, corroded or was never installed correctly. That is ours, and we fix it.
Chimney flashing typically $1,200–$1,500. All 33 repairs, priced
Often it is the masonry
Brick and mortar. Mortar joints erode, brick becomes porous, and the crown on top of the chimney cracks. Water then travels down inside the chimney structure and appears at the ceiling — looking exactly like a roof leak.
That is a masonry repair, not a roofing one. We will tell you so rather than sell you flashing that will not fix it.
How to tell them apart: flashing leaks usually show up during or immediately after rain and stain close to the chimney. Masonry leaks are often slower, can appear days later, and frequently show staining inside the firebox or on the chimney breast itself. An inspection will tell you which you have — and if it is masonry, we will say so and you can call the right trade.
After a named storm
What Actually Happens, Honestly
Everyone is triaging at once
When several thousand roofs fail in one afternoon, no contractor in Houston is responding in two hours. Anyone promising you that the day after a hurricane is telling you what you want to hear.
Active water comes first
We prioritise water entering an occupied building over everything else. Say which room when you call, and whether it is still coming in.
Tarping before repairing
Sealant does not bond to a wet surface, so a permanent repair made in the days after a storm fails within months. Stabilise first, repair properly when the roof is dry.
Out-of-town contractors arrive
They always do, and some are fine. Ask for the certificate of insurance, check them where they cannot control the result, and be careful with anyone wanting a large deposit. The seven-step checklist
Common questions
Hurricane Damage Questions
Should I file a hurricane claim for a small leak?
Often no. Named-storm deductibles run 2% to 10% of your dwelling coverage — on a $400,000 home at 5%, that is $20,000. A flashing repair is $225 to $350 and a pipe boot is $225. If the repair costs less than your deductible, filing gains you nothing and puts a claim on your record. Get the roof assessed first.
Water is coming in at floor level. Is that a roof claim?
No — that is flooding, and flood is not covered by a homeowner policy at all. It requires separate flood insurance. Call your flood carrier rather than your homeowner carrier: it is faster and it is the right policy. Water staining a ceiling or running down an interior wall came from above and is a different question.
How long can a tarp stay on my roof?
Days and weeks, not months. A tarp is mitigation — it stops water entering while you arrange the repair, and most policies require you to mitigate. But it is fixed to an already-damaged roof and holding against UV and wind it was not designed to survive indefinitely. The next named storm frequently takes it off, and by then the deck beneath has been wet for months.
Is a chimney leak a roofing problem?
Sometimes, and often not. Flashing failure at the chimney is a roofing repair, typically $1,200 to $1,500. But eroded mortar joints, porous brick or a cracked chimney crown let water travel down inside the chimney structure and appear at the ceiling looking exactly like a roof leak — and that is a masonry repair, not a roofing one.
How fast can a roofer respond after a hurricane?
Honestly: slower than any of us would like. When several thousand roofs fail in one afternoon, no contractor in Houston is responding in two hours — and anyone promising that the day after a hurricane is telling you what you want to hear. We prioritise water actively entering an occupied building. Say which room when you call.
What should I say when I report a hurricane claim?
Describe what you observed, not what you assume. Everything said on a claim call is recorded and cannot be withdrawn. We have seen a homeowner mention, honestly and without thinking, that interior damage had begun months before the storm — on a roof that turned out to have no wind damage at all. Have the roof assessed before you describe it to an insurer.
Does my roof need replacing after a hurricane?
Not necessarily, and it is worth resisting anyone who says so before looking. Plenty of post-hurricane damage is repairable — lifted flashing, a few missing shingles, a damaged vent. What decides it is how much of the system failed and what state the decking is in, and that requires an inspection rather than a drive-past.
If a storm has not arrived yet
The only point at which anything can be fixed is before the season. Once a storm is named, nothing can be scheduled — and the ground work is all that is left.
Hurricane preparation — what to do in March, what to do 48 hours out, and what preparation can and cannot achieve.
Free inspection, and an honest answer about filing
Every slope photographed, written findings you keep, and a straight answer on whether a named-storm claim makes financial sense given your deductible — including when the answer is that it does not.
If what you have is a masonry problem, a flood claim or a $225 repair, we will tell you that instead.
All storm damage · Hail damage · Wind damage · How Texas claims work · Emergency repair
JC&C Roofing Company · 1431 Graham Dr #266, Tomball, TX 77375 · 1220 Blalock Rd #345, Houston, TX 77055 · hello@jccroofing.com