The storm has passed, the yard looks like someone emptied a freezer on it, and you are standing out there wondering what happens next. The first two days after hail matter more than most people realize. Not because the roof is getting worse by the hour, but because the photos you take, the calls you make, and the papers you sign in this window tend to shape how the whole repair goes. Here is a sensible order to do things in.
Hour one: make sure nobody is hurt
Before the roof, check the house. Look for broken windows, water coming in, and anything electrical near a leak. If a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, keep people out from under it. If you smell gas or see a downed line, that is a utility call, not a roofing call.
Do not climb on the roof. Wet shingles and metal are slippery on a good day, and hail-damaged surfaces give you no warning before they give way. Everything worth doing in the first 48 hours can be done from the ground, a ladder at the eave, or inside the attic.
Hours one to six: take too many photos
Once it is safe and dry enough, walk the property with your phone and document like you are building a case, because you are.
Photograph the hail itself if any is still around, next to a coin or a tape measure for scale. Shoot the yard, the patio furniture, window screens, gutters, and anything else the hail marked up. Those soft-metal dents on gutters, downspouts, and AC fins matter, because they help show the size and direction of the storm. Get wide shots of each side of the house and closer shots of anything visibly torn, dented, or scattered: shingles in the yard, a dented vent cap, a cracked skylight.
Inside, photograph any stains, drips, or wet spots, and put a bucket under active leaks. Write down the date and time of the storm. Weather reports and your own notes together make later conversations much easier.
The first day: stop the water, temporarily
If water is getting in, the goal is a temporary stop, not a repair. A tarp over a damaged section can protect the house until a proper look is possible, and many roofers offer emergency tarping as part of storm damage response. If you tarp anything yourself, work from a ladder where you can, weigh the edges with sandbags rather than nailing through shingles when possible, and never get on a wet roof to do it. Keeping receipts for anything you buy or pay for in this stage is smart, since those costs are part of the event record.
Inside the house, move furniture and valuables out from under leaks, and dry wet areas as best you can. Slow moisture is what turns a roof problem into a ceiling and drywall problem.
Day one or two: make two phone calls
The first call is to your insurance company or agent to report the storm and open a claim if the damage looks significant. You do not need to have every answer yet. Reporting early simply starts the clock and gets an adjuster visit scheduled. Keep notes on who you spoke with and what they said.
The second call is to a roofer for an inspection. Hail damage is sneaky: bruised shingles often do not leak for months, and from the ground a damaged roof can look untouched. A proper inspection means someone on the roof, hands on the shingles, checking for the soft spots and mat damage that photos from the driveway will never show. Getting that inspection done while the storm date is fresh, and getting the findings in photos, gives you a clean record to pair with your own documentation.
What to hold off on
The days right after a storm are when out-of-town crews roll through neighborhoods knocking on doors. Some are fine. Some disappear before the first leak shows up. A few things worth keeping in mind:
Be careful about signing anything on the spot, especially paperwork that hands your claim over to a contractor. Read anything before your name goes on it. Be wary of anyone who wants full payment up front, or who pressures you with a today-only price. A legitimate roofer can inspect, document, and give you a written estimate without needing a signature in your driveway.
Also hold off on permanent repairs until the damage has been documented and, if you filed one, your claim is in motion. Temporary protection is expected. Tearing into a full repair before anything is recorded can complicate the paper trail.
By the end of day two
You should have photos, a claim started if the damage warrants it, temporary cover over anything actively leaking, and an inspection scheduled or done. That is a good position. From there, the process slows down: the adjuster visits, the roofer’s documentation gets compared, and you decide on repairs with real information instead of storm-week adrenaline.