Storm Damage Restoration: what it involves and what the data shows
Storm restoration covers wind, hail, fallen trees and the water that follows a breached roof or envelope. The first job is stopping further water entry; the second is separating wind damage (homeowners policy) from flood damage (flood policy), because they are different claims.
- NFIP claims recorded
- 106,572
- median paid, Florida
- $82,109
- median paid, Texas
- $36,647
The figures above come from 106,572 NFIP flood and water claims recorded by FEMA since 2023. Explore the full index by state and county below.
How storm damage restoration works
- Emergency dry-in. Tarping and board-up stop continuing water entry through damaged roofs and openings.
- Damage separation. Wind-driven damage and rising-water damage are documented separately because they fall under different policies.
- Water mitigation. Interior water losses are extracted and dried to measured standards.
- Rebuild. Roofing, siding and interior assemblies are repaired under the applicable claim.
Insurance and claims
Wind and hail are standard homeowners perils, sometimes with separate wind deductibles in coastal states. Rising water is flood and needs an NFIP or private flood policy. After major storms, insurers deploy catastrophe teams and claim volumes surge, so early documentation matters.
Common questions
- Does homeowners insurance cover flooding from a hurricane?
- No. Rising water is excluded from standard homeowners policies; it needs flood insurance such as an NFIP policy. Wind damage from the same storm falls under the homeowners policy, which is why the two are documented separately.