The first 72 hours after a hail storm

Bottom line first. Do these five things in order: get safe, record everything, stop more damage, call your insurer, and hold off on signing papers. Nothing else in the first three days matters as much. (The 72 hours here is a working checklist for this course, not a legal deadline.)

1. Safety first

A roof is not worth an injury. Wait until the storm has fully passed and stay off a wet or damaged roof. Hail can loosen shingles, crack skylights and hide soft spots in the decking (the wood layer under the shingles).

• Look from the ground first. Walk around the outside of the house and check for broken glass, fallen branches and downed power lines. Stay far away from any line on the ground and call the utility.
• If you see water coming through a ceiling near a light fixture or outlet, shut off power to that part of the house at the breaker panel, and only if the panel is dry and you can reach it safely.
• Do not climb a ladder onto the roof. You can photograph it with a phone zoom, a camera on a pole, or from a neighbor's higher window.

2. Record everything before you touch anything

Your claim is a story told with evidence. The better your record, the easier the story is to prove. Take photos and video before you clean up or repair anything.

• Wide shots first. Each side of the house, so the picture shows which house it is.
• Close-ups next. Dented gutters, downspouts, vents, window screens, garage door, siding, fences, the air conditioner fins, and any dents in car hoods.
• Hailstones. If hail is still on the ground, put a coin or ruler beside a stone and photograph it. Size is useful evidence.
• Inside. Water stains, wet insulation, dripping, and damaged items.
• Video. Walk the house slowly and say the date and what you see out loud.

Back the files up to a second place (cloud or another device). Your phone date stamp helps show when the photos were taken.

3. Stop more damage, and keep every receipt

Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to keep the damage from getting worse. These are called temporary repairs or mitigation (steps that limit further loss). Examples: a tarp over an open section of roof, plywood over a broken window, a bucket under a leak, moving furniture away from water.

Keep it simple and cheap. A temporary fix is not a full repair. Keep every receipt, take a photo of the work, and write down the date. Read your policy's wording on this, because your policy controls what it covers. Ask your insurer when you call whether they want to see the damage before you make the fix, and note the answer.

4. Keep the damaged materials

If a repair person removes broken pieces (a cracked vent, a dented gutter section, loose shingles), ask them to set the pieces aside and photograph them first. An adjuster (the insurer's inspector, covered in lesson hr-03) may want to see them. Do not throw out damaged belongings until you have photos and a list. Write down each item, what it cost and roughly how old it is.

5. Call your insurer: what to say

Call the number on your policy or your insurer's claim line. Colorado law lists it as an unfair claim practice if an insurer fails to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly on claim communications, or misrepresents facts or policy terms (C.R.S. 10-3-1104(1)(h)). That law is the insurer's duty, but reporting early starts the clock on that duty and protects your own record.

Keep the call short and factual:

• Your name, policy number and address.
• The date of the storm and that you believe hail damaged your roof and possibly other parts of the house.
• What you have done so far (photos, temporary repairs).
• Ask: what is my claim number, who is my adjuster, and what happens next?

Do not guess about cost. Do not say the damage is minor or that you are fine. Say what you see and that you are still checking. Write down the date, time, the name of the person you spoke with, and what they said. Keep a copy of the policy handy. If you need a fresh copy, ask in writing. Colorado requires a homeowner's insurer to provide one, including the declarations page and endorsements, within the deadline in C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(10). That clock starts when the insurer's registered agent receives your written request (HB25-1322 (2025), Colorado General Assembly). Check the current statute or ask your insurer for the day count.

6. Do not sign anything yet

After a hail storm, people knock on doors offering roof help. You do not have to sign anything in the first three days, and you should not feel rushed. A contractor must give you a written contract signed by both sides before roofing work starts (C.R.S. 6-22-103(1)). If you sign a roofing contract that will be paid from an insurance claim and the insurer denies the claim in whole or in part, there is a short right to cancel, measured in hours, after you get written notice (C.R.S. 6-22-104(1)). That is covered in detail in lesson hr-04, along with the rule about deductibles. For now, the safest move is simple: take brochures, take names, sign nothing, and finish steps 1 to 5.

Example with real numbers

Priya's house is hit by hail on a Saturday afternoon. Here is her first 72 hours, step by step.

1. Saturday, 5 p.m.: Hail stops. She checks the yard from the ground and finds no downed lines. She takes 40 photos and a 3-minute video of every side of the house and 6 close-ups of dented gutters.
2. Saturday, 7 p.m.: A ceiling stain appears over the kitchen. She moves a pot under the drip, takes a photo and sets a note in her phone.
3. Sunday morning: She buys a tarp, rope and plywood for $85 total. She keeps the receipt, photographs the cover going on the broken window, and does not climb on the roof.
4. Monday, 9 a.m.: She calls her insurer, gets a claim number, and writes down the name and time of the call.
5. Monday afternoon: A door-to-door seller offers a free inspection and a paper to sign. Priya says she will call back and signs nothing.

Priya's out-of-pocket so far is $85, and she has the receipt. Her record shows 46 photos, one video, a claim number and a call note. That is a strong start, and it cost her almost nothing.

Quick checklist

• Safe: yes. On the roof: no.
• Photos and video: wide, close, inside, stones.
• Temporary repairs: cheap, photographed, receipts kept.
• Insurer called, claim number written down.
• Nothing signed. Damaged parts kept.

This course is general education, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy's own wording controls. If you are unsure, ask your insurer or a lawyer.