IS YOUR HOME PROTECTED FROM HAIL DAMAGE?
A Homeowner’s Guide to Roofing and Hail
WHEN A HAILSTORM STRIKES
• If you are indoors when a storm with large hailstones strikes, stay there. Because large pieces
of hail can shatter windows, close your drapes, blinds or window shades to prevent the wind from
blowing broken glass inside. Stay away from sky- lights and doors.
Hail can occur in any strong thunder- storm, which means hail is a threat everywhere. When it hits, it
can shred roof coverings and lead to water damage to your ceilings, walls, floors, appliances and
personal posses- sions. Knowing which roof coverings resist impact well can save you lots of
trouble and money.
Review your homeowners insurance policy periodically with your insurance agent or company
representative to make sure you have sufficient coverage to protect the investment you’ve made in
your home. Report any property damage to your insurance agent or company representative immediately
and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage.
For information about filing an insurance claim after a hailstorm has caused roof damage, contact:
FIRST THINGS FIRST
1. Most roofing jobs are not for the do-it-yourselfer. Unless you have lots of experience in
replacing roof coverings, hire a professional roofing contractor to handle this job.
2. Before you reroof, check with your local building officials to be sure what you’re doing
complies with local building codes.
WHEN YOU REPLACE YOUR ROOF COVERING
• If you are replacing your old, worn out roof covering with new asphalt shingles, make sure they
have a Class 4 rating under Underwriters Laboratories’ (UL)
2218 standard. A Class 4 rating tells you a sample of the product did not crack when hit twice in
the same area by a
two-inch steel ball.
• The UL 2218 standard is a useful method for testing impact resistance, but it isn’t perfect and
works better for some roof coverings than for others. The UL standard measures whether a product
cracks under impact. Some roof cover- ings, particularly some made of metal, may resist cracking,
but can be dented and dimple. So, while they test well, they may perform poorly in practice. Keep
this in mind when using the UL standard to gauge the quality of a roof covering.
For more information about protecting your home from hail damage, check with the professionals at