Storm season checklist for commercial and apartment properties

Roof checks

Most storm damage starts at a weak spot that was already there: an open seam, a loose edge or a fastener working its way out. These are the checks IBHS lists for low-slope commercial roofs, by roof type:⁵

• 1Single-ply membrane: tears, punctures, worn or failed seams, fasteners backing out and brittleness. On fully adhered membranes, also loose areas and blisters.⁵
• 2Built-up and modified bitumen: blisters, cracks, wear around connections and missing protective coating.⁵
• 3Metal panels: dents, loose screws, worn rubber washers, worn paint and rust.⁵
• 4Edge flashing: rust and wavy or loose fascia. Pull on the bottom flange to find a loose edge.⁵
• 5Roof hatches and skylights: loose hardware, cracked seals, leaks and signs of hail damage.⁵

Fix what turns up before the season. IBHS's list includes repairing punctures, tears and flashing, adding fasteners at corners and perimeters, a wind uplift test, and cables and straps over roof-mounted equipment. If the roof is under warranty, NRCA suggests having the installing contractor make the repairs.^6,4

Roofs wear out faster where hail is common. IBHS cites insurance industry data that roofs in severe hail-prone areas often must be replaced every 7 to 10 years.⁷

Rooftop equipment, skylights and openings

• 1Hail guards on HVAC condensers. Condenser fins and coils are extremely susceptible to small hail. In severe and very severe hail areas, FM recommends guards with openings no larger than 0.5 by 1 inch (13 by 25 mm), checked for condition and attachment.⁸
• 2How the guards are built and fitted. IBHS says common coil guards use 0.5 by 1 inch galvanized wire mesh or louvered panels on an aluminum frame, and that guards should sit off the fins, be fastened against wind and be watched for reduced airflow. No standardized test compares them.⁹
• 3Nonmetallic skylights and smoke vents. Cracks, crazing, yellowing or cloudiness mean the plastic is getting brittle. FM names hail-punctured skylights as one of the main causes of water damage.⁸
• 4Condenser attachment. Units strapped to the stand, curb or deck with little to no slack, every service panel fastener in place, and curbs free of loose connections, rusted flashing, leaks and rot.⁵
• 5Packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC) units installed to resist wind-driven rain, typically tilted 2 degrees toward the outside and caulked between the building and the sleeve.⁶
• 6Roll-up doors with tight brackets, no major dents or rust, and a wind label.⁶

Drainage and flood exposure

• 1Roof drains, gutters and downspouts clear, gutters strapped, and downspouts discharging at least 3 feet from the foundation.⁵
• 2Ponding that isn't caused by a blockage looked at by a roofer. Water that stands for long periods ages a membrane and makes it brittle.
• 3Site drains clear, especially at shipping and receiving areas, and checked again when a hurricane watch is issued.⁶
• 4Trees trimmed back from roofs. Overhanging branches damage roofs and clog drains.
• 5Flood risk looked up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, with the lowest floor compared to the base flood elevation. Flooding can also happen outside high-risk areas.⁶

Records to have before the season

A claim is easier to prove when you can show what the building looked like before the storm. Gather these and keep copies away from the property.

• 1Roof inspection reports, written and photographed. NRCA says the file gives a basis for comparing conditions at later inspections.⁴
• 2A photo inventory of building components, equipment and inventory, stored offsite and in the cloud. IBHS notes a claim will likely require itemizing losses.⁵
• 3Copies of building plans, insurance policies, bank account and employee contact information in a waterproof container, with a set stored offsite.¹⁰
• 4Policy numbers and claim filing instructions in a secure, convenient place.¹¹
• 5The insurance agent's contact details, saved in a phone and offsite.

Policy terms to go over with the broker

Storm losses often turn on a few policy terms that are easy to miss until a claim. Ask your broker or agent how each one applies to each building.

• 1Wind and hail: whether they are covered, excluded or written on a separate policy.
• 2Deductibles: a hurricane deductible applies only after a trigger, such as the National Weather Service naming a storm or issuing a watch or warning, while a wind and hail deductible applies to any wind damage. The Insurance Information Institute describes these for homeowners policies. Ask for each deductible in dollars and its trigger.¹²
• 3Roofs at actual cash value: which buildings have them, since depreciation then comes out of a roof claim.
• 4Flood: most commercial property policies exclude it, and a new flood policy starts after a 30-day wait.¹³
• 5Business income: payments typically begin 24 to 48 hours after the loss or after a deductible is paid, and usually exclude weather-related evacuations and utility outages not caused by damage to the property. Ask whether separate wind or flood policies include it.¹⁴

Contacts, plans and alerts

• 1A contact list: fire, police, tree services, utilities and the insurance agent.
• 2Who handles last-minute preparations, and how staff, residents and customers get updates.
• 3At least three alert sources, such as the National Hurricane Center, the local National Weather Service office, a hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio and Wireless Emergency Alerts.⁵
• 4When a hurricane watch is issued: start the continuity plan, close roll-up doors all the way, secure outdoor items and check drains again.⁶

Phone alerts miss many hail warnings. A severe thunderstorm warning sends a Wireless Emergency Alert only when tagged destructive: hail at least 2.75 inches (baseball) or wind at least 80 mph, so golf ball hail (1.75 inches) does not. The Storm Prediction Center forecasts severe weather up to seven days ahead.¹⁵

Reducing risk across a portfolio

• 1Rank buildings by hail zone. FM's hail maps divide areas into moderate, severe and very severe; damaging hail also falls outside the severe zones, less often.⁸
• 2Rank roofs by age against the 14 to 18 year average life of single-ply and multi-ply covers.⁸
• 3Plan for one storm hitting several sites: hail swaths range from a few acres to 10 miles wide and 100 miles long.³
• 4At reroofing in hail-prone areas, IBHS recommends low-slope covers rated FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4.¹⁶
• 5FORTIFIED Multifamily, an IBHS standard for apartment buildings, has three levels (Roof, Silver, Gold) and an optional hail supplement. Each building is designated separately, for 5 years.^17,18

Texas rules

• 1In Texas, TDI's filing checklist says a commercial property form may exclude windstorm, hurricane or hail only in TDI's designated catastrophe area, unless the exclusion is optional and priced, and the insured must sign the exclusion or a disclosure. On the coast and in Harris County on Galveston Bay, TDI says policies probably don't cover wind and hail; TWIA offers it.^13,19
• 2In Texas, forms for large risks, such as $5 million or more in insured property, are exempt from TDI filing.¹⁹
• 3In Texas, TDI has allowed roofs to be covered at actual cash value when that is limited to wind and hail losses.¹⁹
• 4Texas coast, for property insured through TWIA: while a hurricane is in the Gulf of Mexico or within 80 degrees west and 20 degrees north, TWIA takes no new or increased coverage. TWIA renewals paid within 10 days of expiration continue.²⁰
• 5Texas coast, for property insured through TWIA: a Windstorm Certificate of Compliance (WPI-8) is required for TWIA eligibility. Replacing a roof or repairing a significant part of one needs a certificate; temporary storm repairs do not. TDI has an online database of most certificates.²¹

Dallas-Fort Worth hail season

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, hail peaks in April and May. Within 124 nautical miles of the Dallas Fort Worth radar, hail reports averaged 106 in April and 105 in May from 1980 to 2006, against 49 in March and 55 in June. The Storm Prediction Center dates the area's primary severe weather season March 21 to July 3.²²

NWS Fort Worth says storms with large hail can occur all year but are most common in spring, so roof and rooftop equipment work there is best finished by early spring.²³