Why photos carry so much weight
Every storm claim is decided, at some level, from pictures. Adjusters arrive days or weeks after a hurricane, contractors tear out wet materials fast, and appraisers and umpires often see the property only after repairs have started. A thorough storm damage photo checklist turns those gaps into a record no one can argue with.
South Carolina gives owners plenty of reasons to keep one handy: hurricanes and tropical storms on the coast, spring hail in the Upstate and Midlands, tornadoes like the April 2020 outbreak that hit Seneca and Hampton County, and ice storms that bring down limbs across the Pee Dee. The list below works for all of them.
Before the storm: a baseline
A ten-minute walk-around before hurricane season can save weeks of argument later. Take a short video of each room and each side of the house, and photograph:
- Each roof slope from the ground or a window, plus any skylights, vents and chimneys.
- Siding, trim, gutters, fences, screened porches and outbuildings.
- Flooring, cabinets and appliances, with model labels where easy.
- Electronics, furniture and valuables, opening closets and drawers on the video.
Store the files in cloud storage, not only on your phone. A baseline makes it much harder for anyone to say damage was pre-existing.
After the storm: outside the house
Wait until it is safe. Stay off the roof and away from downed lines. Then work from wide to close:
- Wide shots of each elevation, with the street or a neighbor’s house in frame for location.
- Roof from the ground or a drone: missing shingles, lifted tabs, exposed decking, displaced metal panels or tile.
- Hail evidence: dents on gutters, downspouts, AC fins and soft metals, with a coin or ruler for scale.
- Trees and limbs where they struck the structure, before removal.
- Windows, doors, soffits and siding, especially on the side that faced the strongest wind.
- Fences, sheds and detached garages, which fall under a different coverage section.
If water came in from outside
On coastal and riverside homes, record the high-water mark inside and outside with a tape measure in frame. Photograph debris lines, sand and mud. Storm surge and rising water are flood, usually covered under a separate policy, so these pictures help the adjusters split wind damage from water damage.
After the storm: inside the house
Go room by room in the same order every time. For each room, take one wide shot from the doorway, then close-ups of:
- Ceiling stains, sagging drywall and wet insulation, ideally with a moisture meter reading visible.
- Wall stains, peeling paint and swollen baseboards.
- Flooring that is cupped, buckled or stained.
- Damaged contents, with labels, serial numbers and receipts photographed where possible.
- The attic, especially decking, rafters and trusses near any roof damage.
Photograph mitigation work as it happens: tarps going on, fans and dehumidifiers running, materials removed. Keep a sample of discontinued flooring or siding if you can, since matching disputes depend on it.
Video helps too. A slow, narrated walk-through of each room, saying the room name and date out loud, gives an adjuster or appraiser context that still photos can miss. For damaged contents you plan to throw away, photograph each item with its brand label before it goes to the curb, and ask the adjuster whether they want anything kept for inspection.
Organizing the record
A thousand unsorted photos are hard for anyone to use. A little structure helps:
- Keep the original files; editing can strip the date and location data.
- Make folders by area: roof, each exterior side, each room, contents, mitigation.
- Add a simple index listing what each folder shows and when it was taken.
- Save receipts, invoices and estimates in the same place.
Our appraisal readiness checkup walks through the documents that help most if a dispute goes further.
How appraisers and umpires use your photos
In appraisal, photos do most of the heavy lifting. An appraiser uses them to support quantities, such as the number of damaged roof squares or the linear feet of siding. An umpire deciding a disputed line item will look for proof that damage existed, that it was caused by the storm and that the repair proposed is the one needed.
Photos are especially important on roofs, where hail and wind damage can be hard to see once repairs begin. Our roof and hail damage appraisal page explains how roof disputes are typically valued. For example, a clear set of ground and drone shots showing creased shingles on all four slopes is far more persuasive than a single photo of one damaged tab.
Good photos won’t guarantee any result, but they make every step clearer, from the first adjuster visit through a supplement and, if it comes to that, an appraisal award.
