Roofers Talk Hail Damage Amidst Storms

They say there are some ways to tell if the damage to your roof is significant - but to call a roofer before even thinking of getting insurance involved.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – Matthew Lehman of Fargo Roofing & Siding says the calls about hail damage have been rolling in with frequency this week.

He can empathize – as his own property just got put through the ringer, in a display of how random this phenomenon can be.

“I had to go out to my cabin on Monday. I’m in Franklin, and my house – I pulled up and I was like, ‘Oh no.’ It was toast,” he explained.

“I walked over to my neighbors’ and there was nothing wrong with it. Literally a line in the sand where it hit here and the cloud wasn’t there.”

If you’re not sure if the recent storms caused significant damage, there are some ways to spot trouble even with an untrained eye.

“You can imagine a ball coming down and hitting – it’ll displace those granules, so you’ll have just black circles showing,” he said.

“Sometimes they have a crack, sometimes they crack all the way through – that’s when it’s more obviously hail.”

However, if you do see points of issue, Fargo Roofing & Siding urges you to call a roofer before you get insurance involved.

“It’s not always the best idea to file a claim, that’s just all it comes down to. Sometimes you want to wait, sometimes you don’t want to at all, unless you adjust your coverage for the next storm,” he said.

And do your research on who you hire – because North Dakota can be a dangerous place in which to bring in a roofer.