Hurricane Damage Roof Assessments

Perspectives
A Quarterly Information Source from Benchmark, Inc.
Volume 54 April 2006

Hurricane Damage Roof Assessments

by Pat Marshall

We recommend the following action plan should you be responsible for addressing hurricane damage to commercial, industrial or residential buildings. Please note there are several steps that should be taken in addition to an assessment, but this is perhaps the most important.

Conduct a Hurricane Damage Assessment

When all roof areas are made temporarily watertight, efforts can move from an “emergency” mode to a proactive mode, and we recommend that a thorough damage assessment of all roof sections be completed by a competent roofing professional. The benefits of conducting an independent hurricane damage assessment are two-fold:

1. Independent - The assessment is independent of all other assessments. The property insurance carrier, roofing or building contractor, in-house personnel, tenant, etc., may have a difference of opinion of what the total damage truly is and the estimated cost to repair/replace same. There can also be a big difference of opinion regarding the necessity of roof repairs vs. replacements and the priority of necessary work.

2. Thoroughness - In fairness to all parties playing a roll in addressing hurricane damage in its immediate aftermath, the efforts to qualify and quantify damage is most likely completed hurriedly and under duress. In an attempt to get a roof “in the dry”, many items can be overlooked or are not immediately and easily identifiable.

Completing an assessment permits taking the necessary time to thoroughly examine all roof field membrane areas, flashing components, sheet metal components, rooftop units, and all adjacent conditions such as canopies, windows, siding, EIFS, signage, etc.. Accurate measure of damaged components permits more accurate repair/replacement estimates.

Hidden damage to a roof can be more serious and more costly to repair/replace than the visible (obvious) damage. It is possible for a built-up, modified bitumen and single-ply system to be lifted up and set back down on a roof deck with no obvious damage. In such a situation, the roof system has lost its attachment to the roof deck and is now at risk for blowing off during the next high wind event.

The volume of rain that accompanies a hurricane can be just as damaging, if not more damaging than wind. Several hours of driving rain onto a roof system that has been damaged by wind, airborne debris and lightening can permit extensive water entry into the roof system. This can result in saturating and destroying the roof membrane, insulation and certain roof deck types. This damage is in addition to the interior damage that is typical. A moisture survey may be highly recommended and justified as part of a full hurricane damage assessment of certain roof types and damage situations.

Building owners need to be aware of new (revised) building code requirements prior to commencing repair/replacement work. Many building code jurisdictions have updated their building codes. Very often, new building codes supersede previous codes - new codes are likely to be more stringent than the code in force at the time the building was originally constructed. Specifically, the state of Florida revised their State Building Code in 2004 and again in 2005 in direct response to property damage by hurricanes in both years.

Building owners also should be aware of the shortage of building materials such as tarps, plywood, lumber, roofing felts, asphalt, shingles, concrete tiles, etc.. Most roofing suppliers and contractors have indicated long lead times to get these materials. Roofing contractors have been inundated with repair/replacement work since 2004. Due to existing workloads, most contractors will only do “emergency” or leak repair work in the short term.

In 2004 and 2005, Benchmark assisted several clients with hurricane damage assessments. Our assistance has included, but is not limited to, assisting clients in establishing property losses for insurance purposes, developing roof repair/replacement budgets, preparing repair/replacement specifications per current codes, and coordinating bid solicitation and contract award for the purpose of getting hurricane damaged roofs back into pre-hurricane damaged condition.