Storm Damage Restoration: $3,000 to $7,000 Typical (Fixr)

Storm damage restoration cost at a glance. National figures from two cost guides, shown side by side and not averaged.

Is it an emergency? Storm damage danger signs

• Call 911 or the utility now: a power line is down or hanging, you smell gas, or someone is hurt.
• Today: a tree or wall has opened the house to the weather, rain is getting in through the roof, a broken window or a hole from a limb; water has reached ceilings, walls or floors; the roof is missing whole sections.
• This week: dented gutters, a few loose or missing shingles with no leak, cracked siding, or hail marks you only noticed from the yard. Still photograph them and call your insurer.

Three rules come before any repair, and all three are from the CDC's August 2026 after-storm guidance. Stay clear of fallen power lines and call the electric company to report them. Do not go into a damaged building until local authorities say it is safe. Run any generator outside and at least 20 feet from a window, door or vent, with a battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm inside. The CPSC says about 100 people die in the U.S. each year from carbon monoxide from portable generators.

Storm damage repair cost by type of storm

The storm sets the bill. Fixr's storm damage guide, last updated in January 2025, prices recovery from a thunderstorm at $2,800 to $5,500 and from hail at $3,000 to $12,000. Tornadoes are the most expensive in its table at $4,600 to $17,000. Fixr says its low end, about $2,500, is for damage from a fallen tree and its removal, while its $30,000 high end is a full roof replacement after heavy wind or hail.

Fixr, Storm Damage Recovery Cost, January 2025. National figures.

HomeAdvisor's June 2026 storm and hail page gives a normal range of $2,632 to $22,127 and an average of $12,300 for post-storm and hail roof work. The same page says repairing roof damage after a storm costs around $1,100 on average. HomeAdvisor does not say which jobs its wider range covers, so we show both figures as published rather than pick one.

Storm damage repair cost by part of the house

Storm damage repair by location. HomeAdvisor does not price gutters, tree removal, foundations or basements on its storm page.

Two items in that table usually decide the total: the roof and any water that got inside. The roof side is broken out in storm damage roof repair costs for wind and missing shingles and, for hail, in the hail damage roof repair guide. Fixr lists labor for storm work at $50 to $200 per person per hour.

Storm damage cleanup: what happens first

Storm damage cleanup runs in a set order, because each step protects the next one. Skipping ahead, for example hauling debris before the adjuster sees it, can cost you on the claim.

1. Make it safe. The utility handles downed lines. Gas leaks go to the gas company or 911 from outside.
2. Document. Photograph and video every room, the roof from the ground, the yard and anything that was thrown out.
3. Stop more damage. A tarp over roof openings and boards over broken windows. The Texas Department of Insurance tells policyholders to do what they need to keep damage from getting worse, like covering it with a tarp, and to keep receipts. Tarp prices are in emergency roof tarp costs; window covers are on emergency board-up.
4. Remove trees on the structure. This is crane and rigging work when a trunk is on the roof. See what to do when a tree falls on your house.
5. Dry out. If rain got in, the EPA's goal is to clean and dry the home within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold. HomeAdvisor puts typical water damage restoration at $1,383 to $6,369. The water damage restoration guide covers that job.
6. Repair and rebuild. Roof, siding, gutters, windows, drywall and paint, usually after the adjuster has inspected.

Hurricane damage repair: wind, rain and storm surge

A hurricane can bring three kinds of damage, and each is handled differently. Wind that tears off shingles or siding is a homeowners insurance question. Rain driven in through those openings soaks the inside, and the IICRC water categories, as summarized by R&R Magazine, list wind-driven rain from hurricanes and tropical storms as Category 3, the most contaminated class, so wet materials are often removed rather than dried in place. Storm surge and rising water are flood, and FEMA says most homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. That is a National Flood Insurance Program claim. FEMA says a 30-day waiting period applies to most new flood policies, so a policy bought as the storm approaches usually will not pay for it.

Hurricane deductibles change the math. The Insurance Information Institute says 19 states and the District of Columbia have hurricane deductibles, typically 1% to 5% of the home's insured value, triggered only by a hurricane or tropical storm. Its example: a house insured for $300,000 with a 5% deductible means you pay the first $15,000. For flood cleanup steps, see flood damage restoration.

Does homeowners insurance cover storm damage repair?

Usually, for wind, hail and falling trees that hit the house, with flood as the big exception. Fixr says most storm damage is covered under a standard homeowners policy, and HomeAdvisor says most standard policies cover storm damage repairs. Wind and hail are the largest source of homeowners losses: the Insurance Information Institute, using ISO data, puts wind and hail at 42.5% of homeowners losses in 2023, with an average claim of $14,747 over 2019 to 2023. Whether your claim is paid depends on your policy, your deductible and what the adjuster finds, so call your insurer before you commit to anything beyond emergency protection.

A few rules from regulators and the III that hold up across most states:

• The III says to take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage, save the receipts, and not make extensive permanent repairs until the adjuster has assessed the damage.
• The Colorado Division of Insurance says that if the damage estimate is below your deductible, the insurer will not issue a payment, and that the first repair estimate is not always the final one; the insurer can issue a supplement.
• In Texas, TDI says the insurer has 15 business days to acknowledge your claim and must explain any rejection in writing.
• Disaster aid is not insurance. FEMA says it cannot pay for damage covered by insurance and that its grants cover basic repairs to make a home safe, sanitary and secure. File the insurance claim first.

For the general coverage picture, read what homeowners insurance covers.

Your deductible is yours to pay

A roofer who offers to cover your deductible is offering something many states ban. Texas Insurance Code 707.002 says a person insured under a property policy "shall pay any deductible," and the Texas Department of Insurance says it is illegal in Texas for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate or absorb it; Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02 makes that a Class B misdemeanor. Colorado's C.R.S. 6-22-105 says a roofer on an insured job "shall not advertise or promise to pay, waive, or rebate" any part of the deductible. Minnesota Statutes 325E.66 bars a residential contractor from promising to pay any part of the deductible, and Florida Statutes 489.147 bars offering a deductible waiver for a roof inspection or claim. Our storm damage contractor laws by state table lists every state we confirmed against statute text.

Storm chasers: how to spot a storm damage scam

Out-of-town crews follow big storms. State regulators describe the same pattern:

• The knock. The Indiana Attorney General lists a stranger at the door who has already noticed your roof needs work as its first warning sign, along with leftover materials from a neighbor's job and a discount if you sign today.
• The free inspection. The Georgia Attorney General warned that some roofers used a free inspection to cause damage.
• Cash and money up front. Illinois regulators say not to pay cash and not to pay in full until the job is done; Indiana's AG advises no more than one third down.
• Signing over the claim. Never sign an assignment of benefits, which hands your claim and the insurer's check to the contractor. Florida voided post-loss assignments for policies issued on or after January 1, 2023 under Florida Statutes 627.7152.
• Rushed contracts. The FTC's three-day Cooling-Off Rule does not cover sales needed to meet an emergency or repairs you asked the company to come out for, so read before you sign.

You do not need a contractor to deal with your insurer. The III says a public adjuster can cost as much as 15% of the settlement, and the Colorado Division of Insurance notes you are not required to hire one.

Who does storm damage restoration: roofer, restoration company or tree crew?

Storm damage restoration is often three trades in sequence. A tree service removes anything resting on the house. A roofer tarps and later repairs or replaces the roof, siding and gutters. A water damage company extracts water and dries the structure if rain got inside. Some companies do two of the three, and some general contractors run the whole job. Ask which parts a company does with its own crews and which it subcontracts. For tree work that is not on the house, tree removal has normal pricing; for roof work you pay for yourself with no claim, roof repair covers it.

Questions to ask a storm damage repair company

• Can you put the estimate in writing, line by line, before work beyond tarping starts?
• Will you photograph the damage before and after for my insurer?
• Is there anything in the contract that signs my claim or the insurance check over to you?
• Where my state licenses this trade, what is your license number, and will you send a certificate of insurance?
• Is the deposit refundable if my claim is denied? (Several states give a right to cancel after a denial.)
• Which work do your own crews do, and which do you subcontract?

Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary. How calls work. Before work starts, get the license number (where your state licenses the trade) and a certificate of insurance.

After a storm: what to do first, in order

1. Check people first. Call 911 for injuries, fire or a gas smell.
2. Stay away from downed or sagging power lines and report them to the electric company.
3. Stay out of a damaged building until local authorities say it is safe, as the CDC advises.
4. Photograph the damage from the ground, inside and out, before anything is moved.
5. Call your insurer and get a claim number. Ask about your deductible and any hurricane or wind deductible.
6. Cover openings with a tarp or boards to stop more damage, and keep every receipt.
7. Get written estimates. Do not sign anything that assigns your claim or offers to cover your deductible.

Every storm damage guide on this site

• Storm damage roof repair: wind damage, blown-off shingles, siding and what each repair costs.
• Hail damage roof repair: how to spot hail hits, hail sizes, Class 4 shingles and hail claim costs.
• Emergency roof tarp: tarp prices by size, how long a tarp holds and FEMA's Operation Blue Roof.
• Tree fell on house: who pays, removal and repair costs, and chainsaw safety.
• Storm damage contractor laws by state: deductible bans and cancel rights, state by state.
• Hail damage roof repair in Colorado Springs: local hail history and Colorado rules.
• Hail damage roof repair in Denver: Denver hail events, permits and prices.
• Hail damage roof repair in Austin: Austin hail history and Texas claim rules.
• Hail damage roof repair in Houston: Houston hail and wind events, permits and prices.
• Hail damage roof repair in Oklahoma City: Oklahoma City hail history and state rules.
• Hail damage roof repair in San Antonio: San Antonio hail storms and local permits.
• Hail damage roof repair in Minneapolis: Minneapolis hail history and Minnesota rules.
• Hail damage roof repair in Wichita: Wichita hail events and Kansas rules.
• Storm damage restoration in Dallas: Dallas hail and wind history, permits and Texas claim law.