Hail moves through the Oklahoma City metro fast, and the two days after are when smart decisions protect both your home and your wallet. Here’s a calm, practical checklist for the first 48 hours — in order.
Hour 1 — Check for safety and active leaks
Stay off the roof. From the ground and inside, look for water coming in, sagging drywall, or debris. If water is actively entering, move belongings, put down a bucket, and place a tarp only if you can do it safely from a window or attic — never on a wet roof.
Hours 1–6 — Document everything
Photos are your best friend later. Capture the date, dented gutters and downspouts, cracked window sills, damaged AC fins, and any shingle debris in the yard — hail that bruises a roof usually dents soft metal too, and that “collateral” evidence helps prove a real hail event. Save weather reports or news clips from that day.
Hours 6–24 — Get an independent inspection (not a door-knocker)
After a big storm, crews flood the neighborhood knocking on doors. Be careful. Get a free inspection from a local, insured roofer, and do not sign an “assignment of benefits” or a contract that hands someone control of your insurance claim just to get an inspection. A real inspection tells you whether you have genuine, claimable damage — sometimes you don’t, and an honest roofer will say so.
Hours 24–48 — Decide on a claim with real information
If the inspection finds legitimate storm damage above your deductible, file with your carrier and note the date of loss. If it doesn’t, you’ve spent nothing and avoided an unnecessary claim on your record. Either way, you’re deciding from facts instead of fear.
What not to do
Don’t pay a large deposit up front, don’t let anyone start “temporary repairs” you didn’t authorize, and don’t sign over your claim. And don’t wait weeks — most policies expect prompt reporting, and fresh damage is easier to tie to a specific storm.
Where to go from here
Artisan Roofing works across the Oklahoma City metro on exactly these storm calls. Start with a straight read on the damage through our storm and wind damage page, book a roof inspection, and if the damage is real, our insurance claims support takes it from there.