The supercell storm that ravaged Fort Smith and parts of Arkansas is a historical hail swath with massive amounts of roof and vehicle damage.
This means that roof hail damage claims are going to start pouring in. Any hail over 1.25 inch can cause significant damage. Areas such as Bloomer, Charleston, Lavaca, Paris, Delaware, and Liberty were hit with hail as large as baseballs.
Experiencing problems with your rooftop or thinking about a new installation? Look no further than Luck Roofing, a top roofing company in Arkansas. We deliver unparalleled roofing services to Fort Smith and the surrounding regions. Feel free to contact us at (479) 397-2228 for a professional consultation. Your project is worthy of the exceptional quality and dependability we provide.
This sort of damage breaks windows/windshields, dents vehicles, cracks shingles and siding and can immediately start to leak. It is advisable to have areas covered with a tarp to prevent interior damage.
The first round of hail started in the west with Le Flore County around Arkham, Pecola, and Cofee dropping 2 inch stones.
This first round occurred around 5pm with a second round hitting Fort Smith and North eastern Sebastian county from Central city to Bloomer.
2″ inch hail then pummeled the areas from Caulksville to Paris, with more at Subiaco to Shoal Creek as well as Midway/New Blaine.1
Areas north of Little Rock such as Cabot, Conway, Greenbrier, Morrilton, and Searcy were hit also by varying sized hail.
The hail swaths are an approximate location for the relative position of where the hail fell so it is advisable to have your roof checked even if you think the damage is not significant enough to warrant a roof replacement.
It seemed the storm fell followed the route of Interstate 40 alongside the Arkansas river. This begs the question if Arkansas is going to see more storms this year or in the future.
Homeowners should expect increases in premiums and changes to their deductible amounts of the storms do become more frequent.
We recommend to always review your policy before purchasing it to make sure that deductibles are not too high and to watch for exclusions, see our articles about “How to choose an insurance policy.”
Before you reach out to your insurance adjuster, it’s crucial to consult with a Haag-certified roofing professional. These experts have the specialized knowledge required to conduct a thorough evaluation of your roof’s condition. Initiating a claim with your insurance provider without this preliminary assessment can lead to unnecessary use of their time and resources. It’s important to remember that insurance adjusters have a heavy workload, especially after storm events, making it imperative to have a certified and licensed roofer on hand to ensure the integrity of their evaluation.
In the state of Arkansas, you have up to three years from the storm’s date to submit a claim. Despite this allowance, it’s unwise to postpone action. Delaying can lead to further complications, as hail damage might gradually worsen, resulting in leaks and additional issues over time.
Michael Overzat
Michael Overzat resides in Fort Smith, Arkansas with his wife and three kids. He enjoys to hike, skateboard, write, and get involved in charity organizations. He was originally born in Maryland. He has worked within the roofing industry for 5 years and is very active within the industry by attending conferences, masterminds, etc. His vision is to create a multi-state organization that has a customer centric model. He's worked for some of the biggest names in the industry and hopes to create a more people focused model for the roof replacement process.