Hurricane Damage Roof Repair in Orlando, FL

Emergency dry-in: When a storm event produces membrane blow-off, open laps, or separated flashings that expose the building interior, the first priority is dry-in — not documentation, not permanent repair. We use heavy-duty polyethylene sheeting mechanically secured to the deck for emergency dry-in on open areas, and peel-and-stick membrane or butyl tape for contained flashing failures. Emergency dry-in is available after-hours and on weekends for buildings on our maintenance contracts; we extend that response to new clients as capacity allows in the immediate post-storm period.

Damage documentation: Once the building is secured against rain intrusion, we produce the full damage documentation — roof walk with photo log keyed to zone diagram, written condition assessment distinguishing event damage from pre-existing conditions, a preliminary repair scope with line-item cost, and a narrative that references the event date and available NWS wind speed data for the building's location. This documentation package is what the owner takes to their insurance carrier or provides to their public adjuster.

Permanent repair: Permanent repair scope is sequenced around the insurance process. We do not require the owner to wait for insurance settlement to start permanent work — we discuss the sequencing, the exposure of doing permanent work before claim resolution, and the documentation steps that protect the owner's claim if they choose to proceed. Permanent repair on roofing systems after a hurricane in Florida also requires a building permit for work above the permit threshold, which we manage.

The most common hurricane damage pattern on Orlando commercial flat roofs is not dramatic blow-off — it is perimeter membrane separation, flashing separation at parapet walls, and HVAC curb flashing pullout. These conditions do not look like hurricane damage from the ground. The roof looks intact. The membrane is in place. But the perimeter attachment has separated from the edge metal, the parapet cap flashing has lifted and reseated, or the curb flashing has pulled away from the membrane at the base. Water enters during the next rain event, and the interior leak appears a week or a month after the storm.

This is why post-storm inspection on any commercial building that experienced wind speeds above 50 mph is important, regardless of whether the owner can see damage from the parking lot. We look specifically at perimeter and corner zones where the FBC design pressures are highest, at parapet cap flashings, and at HVAC curb flashings on every post-storm inspection. These are the failure points — not the field membrane, which is typically the most robustly attached section of the system.

We also look at drain conditions after rain-heavy events. Ian's rainfall total in the Orange County and Kissimmee Valley area exceeded the drain design capacity of many buildings — not because the drains were blocked, but because the drainage system was not sized for that rainfall intensity. Overflowed drains pushed water under membrane laps and through inadequate edge metal. This type of damage is harder to claim as storm damage if the drain was undersized before the event — but it is important to document accurately.

Florida's property insurance market has been through significant legislative change in 2022 and 2023, including reforms to assignment of benefits (AOB) and attorney fee provisions that changed the incentive structure around claims. The practical result for commercial property owners is that clean, independent, factual documentation has become more important — not less — in supporting a legitimate claim.

We do not act as public adjusters and do not represent the insured in the claim negotiation. What we provide is factual condition documentation: what was damaged, where it is on the roof zone diagram, what the pre-existing conditions were that are distinguishable from event damage, and what the repair cost is at prevailing Orlando market rates. That documentation supports the owner's claim whether the owner is working directly with their carrier, through a public adjuster, or through an attorney.

We are also familiar with the re-inspection process that major commercial carriers use in the Orlando market. When a carrier's field adjuster visits the building after our documentation is submitted, we are available to walk the roof with the adjuster and walk through our findings. That walk-through typically resolves most disputes faster than a back-and-forth paper process.

For emergency dry-in on buildings with active maintenance contracts, we mobilize within 4-8 hours of the event passing — as soon as wind speeds drop to safe working conditions (sustained below 35 mph). For new clients, we triage by severity and proximity; buildings with open roof sections that are actively taking rain go to the front of the queue. We carry emergency dry-in materials on our service trucks at all times during the June-November hurricane season.

Florida law allows and most policies require you to mitigate further damage — waiting for the adjuster before emergency dry-in risks additional interior damage and may give the carrier grounds to dispute the secondary damage. Document the storm damage before emergency dry-in with photos and our written report, then proceed with emergency dry-in. Preserve any damaged materials that are displaced rather than discarding them — they are physical evidence for the claim.

Repair work above the local permit threshold requires a permit. In the City of Orlando and Orange County, the threshold is generally any repair that exceeds 25% of the roof area or that involves structural work. We manage the permit process for all replacement and major repair work. Permitted work with a final inspection sign-off also provides documentation that supports the insurance closeout and protects against future issues at property sale.

Rain-driven infiltration — water entering through open flashing joints, inadequate edge metal, or drain overflow — is storm damage under most commercial property policies when it is causally connected to the wind or rain event. The documentation challenge is establishing that the infiltration path was created or exacerbated by the event, not by pre-existing deferred maintenance. We document this distinction carefully in our post-storm reports.

We will walk the roof, produce written documentation suitable for your insurance submission, and sequence emergency dry-in and permanent repair around your claim process.