Storm Damage Checklist for Georgia Homeowners: Trees, Roofs, Tarps and Claims

Metro Atlanta has one of the densest tree canopies of any major U.S. city, red clay that turns to soup after a day of rain, and three storm seasons a year. When the wind finally wins, here is what to do, in the order that keeps you safe and keeps the claim clean.

Why storms hit metro Atlanta homes so hard

Three things combine here. First, the trees: the metro’s canopy is close to half the land area in many neighborhoods, and the big ones — white oaks, water oaks, loblolly pines — are now 60 to 100 years old. Second, the soil: saturated red clay loses its grip on roots, so a pine that stood through a dry windstorm comes down in a wet one. Third, the calendar: severe thunderstorms and tornado threats from March through May, tropical remnants from August through October, and ice storms in January and February.

Helene in September 2024 was the reminder. Atlanta recorded 11.12 inches of rain in 48 hours — breaking a record that had stood since 1886 — Peachtree Creek and Nancy Creek rose above major flood stage, the Chattahoochee ran more than three feet over major flood level near Vinings, and over a million Georgia customers lost power. Most of the home damage, though, was ordinary: trees on roofs, water through ceilings, and basements that filled while the power was out.

The first hour: safety

• Downed lines are live until Georgia Power says otherwise. Stay 30 feet away, keep children and pets inside, and report them. A line touching a fence or a puddle energizes the fence or the puddle.
• Smell gas? Leave and call 911 from outside. Trees pull up gas lines when they uproot.
• Do not enter a room with a tree in it or a ceiling that is sagging. The structure may still be moving, and a ceiling holding water can come down at once.
• Generators stay outside, 20 feet from the house, away from windows. Carbon monoxide deaths rise after every major outage.
• If water is on the floor near outlets or the panel, cut the breakers from a dry spot or stay out.

The first day: document, protect, call

1. Photograph and video everything before it is touched. The tree where it fell, the roof from the ground, every room with water, the yard. Date-stamped photos are the foundation of the claim.
2. Call your insurer and get a claim number. Ask about emergency tarping and board-up (covered as mitigation) and about additional living expenses if you cannot stay in the house.
3. Tarp the roof and board the openings — the same day if the forecast has more rain, and in Georgia it usually does. A properly fastened tarp, not a sheet of plastic held down with bricks. Keep the invoice.
4. Get the tree off the house with a crane-equipped tree service if it is a large one. Removal from the structure is a covered expense; the tree service should be able to work with the roofer and restoration crew so the roof is covered as soon as the weight is off it.
5. Start drying anything that got wet inside within 24 hours. Wet insulation, ceilings and floors do not wait for the roofer. The first-24-hours water checklist.
6. Check the basement. Storms that take the power also take the sump pump. Why basements flood here.

What storm coverage usually looks like

Georgia’s rules give your insurer 15 days to acknowledge the claim and set deadlines for deciding and paying it; our Georgia claims guide walks through them.

Inside the house: what the water did

Storm water enters from above, which makes it sneaky. It runs down rafters and lands far from the hole, soaks attic insulation (which then holds it against the ceiling drywall), follows wiring and top plates down inside walls, and shows up as a ceiling stain two rooms away a week later. A moisture meter and, where needed, a thermal camera find where it went. Expect wet insulation to be removed, ceilings opened where they were saturated, and three to five days of drying before anything is closed back up. Our storm damage page covers the full sequence from tarp to rebuild.

The contractors to avoid

Within a day of any big storm, out-of-town crews work the damaged streets door to door. Some are fine. The ones to avoid say some version of the following:

• “We’ll cover your deductible.” That means inflating the invoice to the insurer, which is insurance fraud, and you are the policyholder on the claim.
• “Just sign here so we can talk to your insurance company.” That is often an assignment of benefits or a contingency agreement that commits you to them before an estimate exists. Read it, or do not sign it.
• “We need a deposit today to hold the crew.” Legitimate emergency tarping is a modest invoice; a large deposit for work that has not been scoped is a warning sign.
• No local address, no Georgia business registration, a magnetic sign on the truck. Ask where they are based. Look them up before you let them on the roof.

You choose your contractors. Your insurer can recommend; it cannot require.

Before the next one

• Have an arborist look at the big trees within reach of the house, especially pines and any oak with dead limbs or fungus at the base.
• Clean the gutters before spring and before fall.
• Put a battery backup on the sump pump.
• Photograph every room and the roof once a year. A “before” set makes any claim easier.
• Read the declarations page for the wind/hail deductible, and ask about flood insurance if you are near a creek.
• Make a plan — where the shut-offs are, where the documents are, who you call. Our emergency planning page is a start.

Frequently asked questions