After the storm: documenting damage the right way

Storm damage becomes two files at once: the insurance claim and the inspection record. The habits that serve both are the same — date-stamped photos before cleanup, hazards made safe first (tarps, shut-offs, boarded openings), and every repair logged. If a storm hit just before your inspection, tell us how you handled the conversation.

The order matters more than the speed: make it safe, photograph it as found, then start cleanup — because cleanup erases the evidence both files need. The inspection conversation after a storm is also its own skill: damage documented, hazards secured, and a repair plan with dates reads completely differently from damage discovered by the inspector mid-walk. If a storm hit the week before your inspection, what does your first 24 hours look like — photos, hazards, calls — in what order?