Tampa Hurricane Prep: A Roof Owner's Checklist

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. The peak months for Tampa Bay are August through October. By the time you see a storm on the cone, you have somewhere between 72 hours and a couple of days to get ready.

Most homeowners overthink this. The actual list is short. Here it is, with the things that actually matter on the roof, and the things you can skip.

The pre-season inspection (do this in May)

This is the single highest-value item on the list. Twenty minutes from a roofer in May saves five figures in November.

What we're looking at:

• Shingles, tiles, or panels. Anything cupped, cracked, lifted, missing, or sliding
• Penetrations. Vents, stacks, skylights, satellite mounts. Check the rubber boots and the seal around them.
• Flashing. Chimneys, valleys, sidewalls. Flashing is where 80% of leaks start.
• Ridge cap. The highest-load part of the roof. Most ridge caps fail before the field of the roof does.
• Soffits and fascia. Wind getting under the eaves is one of the most common storm-failure modes.
• Gutters and downspouts. Clogged gutters during a hurricane back water up under the shingles. Clean them in May.

If you haven't had a roof inspection in over twelve months, schedule a free inspection before June 1. We'll be there within a week of the call. The report is honest: if the roof is fine, we'll tell you. If something's tired, we'll show you exactly what and recommend the smallest reasonable fix.

Call (813) 590-1124 to get on the May calendar before it fills up.

The 72-hour-out checklist

The cone of uncertainty has Tampa in it. You have a few days. This is when 90% of your prep should happen.

1. Trim trees. Anything overhanging the roof needs to come back six feet minimum. Dead branches anywhere on the property need to come down. Falling limbs cause more roof damage than wind alone.
2. Bring in or tie down everything outside. Patio furniture, planters, grills, kids' toys, pool toys, decorative rocks. In sustained winds, anything not bolted down becomes a projectile aimed at your roof or your windows.
3. Photograph everything. Full perimeter of the house, all four elevations, every room interior, every closet, the inside of the garage. Pre-storm photos make claims dramatically easier. Time-stamped phone photos with location services on are perfect.
4. Locate your insurance dec page. Pull it now. Note the policy number, claim phone line, and your deductibles (especially the hurricane deductible, which is usually a percentage of dwelling coverage).
5. Shutter or board any vulnerable openings. A blown-in window or door pressurizes the house and is one of the leading causes of roof failure during hurricanes. Shutters or 5/8" plywood, properly fastened.
6. Top off the gas tanks in your vehicles. Power outages mean closed pumps for days.

The 24-hour-out checklist

The storm is coming. Last calls.

• Charge everything. Phones, battery packs, laptops, headlamps. Power outages in Tampa Bay routinely last three to ten days after a major storm.
• Fill bathtubs with water for sanitation use during outages.
• Move vehicles out from under trees and away from large windows.
• Clear gutters one last time. Pine needles and palm trash that fell during the early bands clog gutters fast.
• Identify your safe room. An interior room on the lowest floor without windows. Closet, bathroom, or hallway.
• Run a final phone backup of important photos, documents, and files to the cloud.
• Print or screenshot key contacts. Your insurance agent's number, your roofer's number (ours: (813) 590-1124), your neighbors, your family.
• Stay off the roof. Anything you didn't already do is now too late. Don't get on a ladder in the wind.

Inside the house, prep for what's already a worry

If you have a roof leak history, prepare for it.

• Pre-position buckets and towels in every room with a known leak history.
• Move furniture and rugs off any walls or floors near old leak points.
• Photograph ceilings in every room before the storm. If a ceiling stains, the "before" picture is gold.
• Cover electronics and important paper documents with plastic sheeting or move them.
• Have tarps and rope on hand. A 20x30 blue tarp from any hardware store and 50 feet of rope can buy you 12 hours after a roof opening. We carry better tarps and the right fasteners. But if it's the middle of the storm, the cheap ones work too.

Emergency contacts to have ready

Tape this to the inside of your kitchen cabinet. Print it. Photograph it. You'll be glad you did when the power's out and your phone's at 4%.

• Insurance carrier claims line. From your dec page
• Your insurance agent. Direct number
• RoofX 24/7 storm line, (813) 590-1124
• TECO outage reporting, 877-588-1010
• Hillsborough County Emergency Management, 813-272-6900
• Pinellas County Emergency Management, 727-464-3800
• Pasco County Emergency Management, 727-847-8137
• Two close neighbors. Names and numbers
• One out-of-state contact. Local lines clog after storms; out-of-state messaging usually still works

What NOT to do

A few common mistakes worth avoiding:

• Don't tape your windows. The X pattern doesn't help. It actually creates larger glass shards if the window breaks. Shutters or plywood; nothing else.
• Don't get on the roof during the storm or in the immediate aftermath if it's wet, windy, or dark. Falls from roofs are the leading post-hurricane homeowner injury.
• Don't sign anything in your driveway in the 72 hours after a storm. Storm-chaser contractors will be everywhere. Read everything. Sleep on it. Verify Florida licenses (look for a CCC#. Ours is #CCC1330839) at the DBPR website.
• Don't throw away debris before the adjuster sees it. Pile it on the lawn. Photograph it.
• Don't run a generator inside or near windows. CO poisoning kills more people than the wind during Florida storms. Run generators 20 feet from the house, downwind.
• Don't drive through standing water. Six inches of moving water can sweep a small car. Two feet will sweep an SUV.

After the storm

Once the wind drops below 35 mph and the sun's up, walk the perimeter from the ground. Do not climb. Photograph everything you see. Yes, again, post-storm photos are different evidence than pre-storm.

If you see damage or have an active leak, call us at (813) 590-1124. Our emergency roof repair team tarps and dries Tampa-area homes 24/7 during storm response. We document the damage thoroughly before, during, and after the tarp goes on. The photos and notes feed directly into your insurance claim.

For a step-by-step on what to do in the first 48 hours, the storm damage assessment process page walks through exactly how an inspection works, what gets documented, and how the report ties into your claim.

If you need to start a claim, the full Tampa insurance claim guide lays out the process from your first phone call to the final settlement check.

Get on the calendar before June

The free pre-season inspection is the highest-leverage thing in this list. Every May we book up. Get yours now.

Call (813) 590-1124 or request your inspection through our website. The Roof Gurus will be there within a week, on your roof, with a moisture meter and a camera. We'll tell you what's solid, what's tired, and what. If anything. Is worth fixing before the first named storm of 2026.