Storm Damage Roof Repair
Infinity Roofers provides storm damage roof repair for homes and commercial buildings across Ventura County and Los Angeles County. After wind, heavy rain or a falling branch, we inspect the roof, document the damage in a written estimate with project photos, and repair or replace the damaged sections.
Storm damage is not always visible from the ground: a roof can look intact while wind has loosened shingles or opened gaps around vents. If a storm has just passed and something looks wrong, contact us to arrange an inspection. We are one licensed roofing company with locations in Simi Valley, Canoga Park and Pasadena.
What wind, rain and falling branches do to a roof
Wind
The National Weather Service defines Santa Ana winds as strong, hot, dust-bearing winds that descend to the Pacific coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions. Wind of that kind lifts shingle edges, displaces tiles, bends flashing and pulls at ridge caps. A shingle that was lifted and fell back flat can look fine from the street while its seal is broken.
Heavy rain
Heavy rain finds every weakness that was already there: a cracked tile, a worn vent seal, a seam that had started to open. It also pours through openings the wind made earlier. On flat and low-slope roofs, water that cannot drain fast enough stands on the surface and works into seams.
Here the rain arrives in one short season. NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals for a station in Thousand Oaks give about 16 inches of rain a year, about 13 of them from December through March and well under half an inch from June through September. Damage from a dry-season wind or a fallen limb can sit unnoticed for months and show up as a leak in the first winter storm, so autumn is the time to have a suspect roof checked.
Falling branches and debris
A falling limb can crack tile, tear shingles, dent metal and knock vents loose. Smaller debris left on the roof traps leaves and water in valleys and against walls, where it keeps doing damage long after the storm.
Signs of storm damage to check once the weather clears
Look from the ground, from upstairs windows and in the attic with a flashlight. Do not climb onto a roof that has just been hit.
- Missing shingles or tiles
- Shingles that appear lifted or displaced
- Cracked roofing materials
- New water stains on ceilings or walls
- Damp areas in the attic
- Damaged flashing
- Debris on the roof
- Broken roof components such as vent caps
- Granules accumulating in gutters
- Water entering around roof penetrations
Any one of these is reason to have the roof evaluated before the next rain.
First steps after storm damage
- Stay safe. Keep away from downed power lines and stay off the roof.
- Protect the inside. Catch drips and move furniture, electronics and stored items away from wet areas.
- Photograph everything, with dates: the roof from the ground, debris in the yard, stains and drips inside.
- Leave wedged branches in place unless they are a safety risk; a limb stuck in the roof can be plugging the hole it made.
- Arrange an inspection of the roof through our contact page.
- Tell your insurance company if you plan to file a claim, and ask what they need from you.
About roof tarps
A tarp is a temporary cover that keeps rain out until the roof is repaired. To work, it has to extend past the damaged area and be fastened well enough to stay on in wind, and putting one up means working on a damaged, slippery roof, which is a job for someone with the right safety gear. If a tarp goes on, keep the receipt and photos with the rest of your storm records.
What you receive in writing, and how it helps with your insurer
After the inspection you receive a written estimate with project photos showing what is damaged, where, and what we recommend repairing or replacing. You can share that estimate and the photos with your insurance company alongside your own pictures. If you decide to file a claim, you report the loss to your insurer and follow its process; your policy and the adjuster decide what is covered.
Questions to ask your insurer about an insurance roof replacement
- Does my policy treat this as sudden storm damage or as wear and age?
- Does it pay replacement cost or actual cash value for the roof?
- What is my deductible for this kind of loss?
- Does it include ordinance or law coverage for code upgrades, such as a Class A roof covering in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
- Do you need to inspect before any permanent repair starts?
Does storm damage mean you need a new roof?
Not necessarily. If the damage is limited to one area and the rest of the roof is in good condition, a targeted repair is usually the right call. If the storm damaged several slopes, or hit a roof that already had recurring leaks and failed earlier repairs, replacing it can make more sense than patching it again.
One rule to know before you decide: a house in a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, or on state responsibility area land, is reroofed and repaired under the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (through section R902.1.1 of the 2025 Residential Code). Under that code’s section 507.1, a storm reroof of 50 percent or more of the roof within 12 months needs a Class A roof, and any covering used in a repair, however small, must be Class A as well.
Our roof replacement page explains that rule and the cool roof rule; for smaller damage, see roof repair in Simi Valley.
Our storm damage roofing process
- Inspect and document. We evaluate the roof for visible storm-related damage and document the affected areas, so the condition of the roof is on record.
- Repair and restore. Once the scope is agreed, we repair the damaged roofing components and close off areas that could let more water in.
- Review and protect. After the work, we review the repaired areas with you and discuss any other roofing concerns.
Storm damage on a business roof follows the same steps; see commercial roof repair for flat and membrane roofs.
Storm hit your roof?
Send the details and your photos through our contact page. We serve Simi Valley and the Ventura County towns, the western San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley; see all service areas.