Hail, Tornado and Wind Damage – What Property Owners Should Do
Severe storms have moved through Arizona this week, bringing significant hail, damaging winds, heavy rain, and tornado warnings to several communities across the state.
On October 20, Mesa and Chandler experienced hail, wind, and heavy rain. AZFamily reported significant storm damage at a Mesa apartment complex, illustrating how quickly severe weather can affect residential and commercial properties.
The following morning, AZFamily reported tornado warnings across portions of Yavapai and Coconino counties, including areas near Prescott and Flagstaff. The warnings involved radar-indicated rotation, which does not necessarily mean a tornado touched down.
These storms are an important reminder that severe weather can cause significant property damage in Arizona, even in areas where tornadoes and large hail are relatively uncommon.
For property owners dealing with storm damage, the immediate concern is understandably getting the property repaired and returning to normal. However, some of the most important decisions are made in the first few days following a loss.
After over 20 years handling residential and commercial property insurance claims, I’ve seen how the decisions made early in a claim can affect the entire recovery process.
My advice is straightforward: Act promptly to protect your property, but take the time to understand who you’re hiring, what you’re signing, and how your insurance claim is being evaluated.
- Protect Your Property From Further Damage
- Document the Damage and Understand What Was Affected
- Be Careful Who You Hire After a Storm
- Arizona Has Recently Strengthened Its Laws Concerning Storm-Related Claims
- Understand What You’re Signing Before You Sign It
- Understand That Hail and Wind Insurance Claims Can Be Disputed
- Know When Professional Assistance May Be Appropriate
- Final Thoughts: Take Action, but Make Informed Decisions
The first priority following any significant storm is safety.
If your property has sustained roof damage, broken windows, water intrusion, or other damage that exposes the building to additional loss, reasonable emergency measures may be necessary.
Depending on the circumstances, that could include temporarily covering damaged roofing, securing openings, removing standing water, or addressing electrical hazards.
Most property insurance policies contain provisions requiring policyholders to take reasonable steps to protect damaged property from further loss. The specific requirements depend on the policy.
One distinction I frequently emphasize is the difference between emergency mitigation and permanent reconstruction.
Mitigation involves taking necessary steps to prevent additional damage. Reconstruction involves permanently repairing or replacing damaged building components.
Those are not necessarily the same process.
You should not delay necessary emergency measures while waiting for an insurance adjuster. However, whenever reasonably possible, significant permanent repairs should be properly documented and evaluated before damaged materials are removed or replaced.
Residential Homeowners
Homeowners – Insurance carriers frequently update their policy terms, often unbeknownst to policyholders, which can have significant implications on coverage. A Public Adjuster is instrumental in ensuring that homeowners are informed of these changes, fulfill all policy obligations, and meet crucial deadlines.
Following a hail or windstorm, some damage may be obvious. Broken windows, displaced roofing materials, fallen trees, and damaged exterior finishes are relatively easy to identify.
Other damage may require a more detailed evaluation.
Hail can affect roofing materials, metal components, rooftop mechanical equipment, exterior finishes, skylights, and other building systems. Wind can damage roof coverings, flashing, attachments, exterior assemblies, and openings that allow water to enter the building.
For commercial properties, the evaluation may be particularly complicated.
A hotel, apartment complex, shopping center, or industrial building may have multiple roofing systems, rooftop equipment, and building components that need to be evaluated together.
Property owners should photograph visible damage, document water intrusion, preserve relevant records, and retain invoices for emergency services.
Avoid climbing onto damaged roofs or entering unsafe areas. Qualified professionals should perform inspections that involve fall hazards, structural instability, or electrical risks.
One of the challenges I regularly encounter is evaluating claims after significant repairs have already been completed. Once damaged materials have been removed, it can become much more difficult to establish what was damaged, what caused the damage, and what repairs were necessary.
Good documentation helps preserve that information.
One of my biggest concerns following major storms is the number of people who may approach property owners offering immediate assistance.
Severe weather often attracts contractors, restoration companies, roofers, and public adjusters from both inside and outside the affected communities.
I want to be clear about something: Not every contractor or public adjuster who knocks on your door is someone you should avoid.
There are many qualified, reputable professionals who provide valuable services after a disaster. In some circumstances, their assistance can be extremely important.
The concern is when property owners feel pressured to make decisions before they understand the qualifications of the person offering assistance or the terms of the agreement they’re being asked to sign.
A contractor who approaches you after a hailstorm may be perfectly legitimate. But that doesn’t mean you should immediately sign a contract.
Before hiring someone, consider taking a few basic steps:
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Verify that the contractor or public adjuster holds the appropriate license for the services being offered.
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Review the company’s history, customer reviews, and references.
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Ask how long the company has been operating and whether it maintains an established business presence.
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Confirm who will actually perform the work or provide the professional services.
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Request a written explanation of the proposed services and fees.
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Read the entire contract, including cancellation provisions and payment terms.
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Be cautious of anyone promising a particular insurance settlement or pressuring you to sign immediately.
Arizona property owners can verify contractor licensing through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
A professional should be willing to explain what they’re proposing and give you a reasonable opportunity to review the agreement.
If someone tells you that you must sign immediately or risk losing your insurance benefits, that’s a reason to slow down and ask more questions.
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Arizona recently enacted Senate Bill 1206, which addresses several practices involving contractors and insurance adjusters following property losses.
The legislation, approved in June 2026, includes restrictions on certain solicitation practices while a damaging event or emergency response is still underway.
It also addresses the separation of responsibilities between contractors and insurance adjusters.
For example, the law generally prohibits contractors providing covered post-storm residential repair services from acting as the policyholder’s insurance adjuster or negotiating settlement of the claim on the owner’s behalf. It allows certain communications with insurers under specified conditions.
The law also includes provisions concerning deductible-related practices, disclosures in certain residential repair contracts, and cancellation rights.
These protections matter because a contractor’s responsibility for repairing a building is different from an insurance adjuster’s responsibility for evaluating and negotiating an insurance claim.
The law does not eliminate the need for qualified contractors or public adjusters. It helps clarify their respective roles and establishes additional protections for property owners.
The residential contract provisions have specific conditions and should not be assumed to apply identically to every commercial property or repair agreement.
Property owners can review the actual legislation here:
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This is one of the most important recommendations I can offer following a major storm.
Before signing a contract with a contractor, restoration company, or public adjuster, understand exactly what you’re agreeing to.
Some agreements are straightforward contracts for inspection, emergency services, or specific repairs.
Others may contain provisions involving payment of insurance proceeds, authorization to communicate with the insurance company, assignment of certain rights, or obligations to use a particular contractor for future work.
These provisions are not all the same, and their legal effect depends on the agreement and applicable law.
You should understand whether you’re authorizing someone to perform a specific service, receive payment, communicate with your insurer, or exercise rights associated with your insurance claim.
For example, if a contractor presents an agreement that references an assignment of insurance benefits or claim rights, don’t assume it’s simply an authorization to inspect your roof.
Ask what rights, if any, you’re transferring and what obligations you may be accepting.
Likewise, understand whether you’re committing to repairs before your insurance company has made a coverage determination and whether you could be personally responsible for charges that insurance does not pay.
There may be legitimate reasons for certain contractual arrangements, but property owners should understand them before agreeing.
If you’re uncertain about provisions that affect your legal rights, consider having the agreement reviewed by a qualified Arizona attorney.
The urgency of a storm does not mean you should surrender control over important decisions involving your property or insurance claim.
Commercial Insurance Claims
Commercial insurance policies are complex and navigating this documentation requires professional insight.
Many property owners assume that if a hailstorm damages their roof, their insurance company will simply pay to replace it.
Sometimes the claim is relatively straightforward. Other times, significant disagreements arise.
These disputes may involve whether the observed conditions were caused by hail or wind, whether damage is cosmetic or functional, whether repairs are feasible, whether replacement is necessary, or how particular policy provisions apply.
The presence of hail in a neighborhood does not automatically establish that every roof sustained covered damage. Likewise, the absence of an obvious leak does not necessarily establish that a roofing system was unaffected.
The evaluation should begin with the facts, the condition of the property, the cause of damage, and the applicable insurance policy.
The broader issue of hail claim handling has received considerable attention recently.
In June 2026, the Oklahoma Attorney General filed a lawsuit against State Farm concerning allegations that its Hail Focus Initiative improperly restricted payments for certain hail and wind claims. State Farm disputes the allegations and maintains that it evaluates claims based on the facts and coverage purchased.
That litigation involves Oklahoma claims and does not establish how any particular Arizona insurance claim should be decided.
However, it illustrates how disagreements about hail damage evaluations can become significant.
My point is not that insurance companies are automatically wrong or that every hail-damaged roof requires replacement.
It’s that property owners should understand how their damage is being evaluated and the factual and policy basis for any disagreement.
If an insurer determines that damage is excluded, unrelated to the storm, or repairable rather than requiring replacement, the owner should understand the reasoning and the evidence supporting that conclusion.
Case Study
Phoenix Hotel Transforms $1.5M Insurance Reserve into $16M+ Settlement.
A hotel’s water damage claim was initially downplayed as a routine dry-out, with a claim reserve of just $1.5 million.
Not every storm damage claim requires a public adjuster.
A relatively small, straightforward claim may be handled directly by the property owner and insurance company.
However, significant losses can involve complicated building systems, disputed repair scopes, technical questions, coverage issues, and substantial financial exposure.
Commercial properties may also involve business interruption, loss of rental income, additional expenses, and other considerations that extend beyond the physical repairs.
In these circumstances, early involvement by qualified professionals can be particularly valuable.
A licensed public adjuster represents the policyholder in evaluating, documenting, and negotiating the insurance claim.
That is different from the insurance company’s adjuster, who works on behalf of the insurer, and different from a contractor, whose primary responsibility is performing construction or restoration services.
Depending on the circumstances, a claim may also require engineers, roofing consultants, industrial hygienists, accountants, or other specialists.
The objective should not be to make an insurance claim as large as possible.
It should be to accurately document the damage, establish a reasonable and supported scope of loss, evaluate the applicable policy coverage, and pursue the benefits the policyholder is entitled to receive.
In my experience, it is often easier to address significant differences early in the process than after permanent repairs have been completed, evidence has disappeared, and positions have become entrenched.
Arizona’s Top Rated Public Adjuster
Skipton and Associates was founded in Arizona in 1992 by David Skipton. He had a vision of growing a company that put their customer needs at the forefront of everything we do for property damage and claim settlements.
The October 2026 storms affecting Mesa, Prescott, Flagstaff, and other Arizona communities are a reminder that severe weather can create difficult circumstances for property owners.
If your home or commercial property has been damaged, take the necessary steps to protect it and document the loss.
But don’t allow the urgency of the situation to pressure you into hiring someone without checking their qualifications or signing an agreement you don’t fully understand.
There are many reputable contractors, restoration professionals, insurance brokers, and public adjusters who can provide valuable assistance.
The key is understanding their roles, verifying their qualifications, and making informed decisions throughout the claims process.
Protect your property, protect your interests, and make sure your insurance claim is supported by the facts.
Does homeowners insurance cover hail and wind damage in Arizona?
Does insurance cover tornado damage in Arizona?
What should I do if my roof was damaged by hail in Mesa?
How can I avoid storm damage contractor scams in Arizona?
Verify licensing through the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, review references and customer feedback, obtain written estimates, understand payment and cancellation provisions, and be cautious of high-pressure sales tactics or promises of guaranteed insurance payments.
When should I hire a public adjuster for storm damage?
A public adjuster may be helpful when a claim involves substantial damage, complicated repairs, disputed estimates, coverage questions, or significant commercial losses. Smaller and straightforward claims may not require professional representation. It is best to consult a reputable public adjuster.
About the Author
Justin R. Skipton, AIC, SPPA, is Executive Vice President, COO, and a partner at SKIPTON Claims Management, a public adjusting firm headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. A second-generation public insurance adjuster with nearly 20 years of experience, Justin has been involved in more than $100 million in property insurance claims. He is a past President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA).
SKIPTON Claims Management represents residential and commercial policyholders in property insurance claims, including fire, water, wind, hail, and complex commercial losses.