No matter how tough your roofing system is, nature’s unpredictable ferocity can still rip the covering off your roofing frame as it could topple a foundation. Strong winds can blow tiles off your roof, hail can strip granules off the shingles, falling trees can poke large holes on the structure, and water can seep through a fractured underlayment and rot the deck below it.

In fact, a family in Hawaii had to flee their home after strong winds managed to blow the roof off their home. A January 2 article published in Hawaii News Now gives an account of the experience.

The strong winds from the storm sent the corrugated roof nearly the length of a football field from the Hoopuni Street home on Monday.

Captain Dekoning was renting the house with his wife and five children. Dekoning is actually a Hawaii County firefighter who was on duty at the Hilo fire station when the call came in that a roof had flown off a home.

The call came from Cap Dekoning’s oldest girl, 15-year-old Selena, who was home with his youngest, just five years old.

“They just heard a loud ‘boom,” and then all the drywall on the ceiling ended up crashing down, and my oldest one — it’s a miracle — ended up jumping on my younger one and covering her while drywall fell down from the ceiling,” he said.

Dekoning said the family has lost nearly all of their personal possessions.

Apart from roofs that are peeled off, water damage is another problem that homeowners may face after a storm. This is usually marked by ceiling stains or damp insulation, particularly in the attic. Homeowners are advised to inspect this area as early as possible. If you suspect some water damage in your insulation, but they may yet appear undetectable, consult with dependable roofing contractors in Northern Virginia, such as the Northern Virginia Roofing Company, for advice.

For a non-professional, climbing the roof while wet may be too dangerous. You can, however, use field glasses or binoculars to spot for damage. By also using a ladder, you can check for missing or torn roof shingles, dented metal roof vents, missing metal roof panels, or broken tiles.

If repair is needed, call your trusted contractor that specializes in roof repair in Northern Virginia because it is not wise for anyone inexperienced to work on these areas. You can apply a temporary fix, such as removing the litter gunk that obstructs roof drains, or laying out a plastic sheet under a leak to minimize structural and other household damage.