Common Damage from Winter Storms

Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan are lovely places to live, but they frequently experience extremely harsh winter weather. Each year, winter storms bring strong winds, sub-zero temperatures, heavy snow, pounding sleet, and an array of other conditions that can wreak serious havoc.

Winter storms can often cause significant damage to your home or business, requiring costly repairs. Even milder winter storms can potentially weaken your property, leaving it more vulnerable to future damage from storms or other weather.

After any major storm, make sure to be on the lookout for the following types of storm damage.

Roof Damage

One of the most common areas of your home or business that can potentially suffer winter storm damage is your roof. Your roof may be impacted in several ways:

• Broken Shingles and Structural Damage – Heavy snow, powerful winds, and fallen tree limbs can cause shingles to crack, allowing precipitation to seep underneath them. In cases of severe storm damage, shingles may even fly off your roof or the structure will have been breached. While a few individual broken shingles can often be replaced piecemeal, damage to a large number of shingles or larger damage may require the entire roof to be replaced.
  
• Dents – Hail damage will often cause dents on your roof. This can occur on the shingles, vents, spouts, and gutters. In some instances, you may even get dents on your flashing (the metal strips that protect the seams in your roof from sustaining water damage).
  
• Missing Roof Features – A winter storm that brings heavy winds can potentially lift certain features off of your roof, such as the fascia used to hold your gutters in place or the soffit which sits between the roofline and the siding.
  
• Ice Dams – Heavy snowstorms can result in the development of ice dams. These occur when ice freezes at the edge of your roof, preventing melting snow from draining properly. The water trapped by ice dams can leak into your property, damaging your ceiling, walls, and insulation.

Mold

Leaks caused by damaged shingles or an ice dam can lead to mold growth in your home or business. Mold is a serious issue that can potentially result in health issues for individuals, especially those with mold allergies. Therefore, it’s important to work with a professional mold remediation company anytime you notice mold following a winter storm.

Damaged Gutters

If snow builds up and stays on your roof for an extended period of time after a winter storm, it can potentially damage your gutters. This can happen in several different ways:

• Your gutters can become weighed down by heavy snow, causing them to bend, crack or fall off.
  
• Mineral granules from damaged shingles can accumulate in your gutters, preventing them from draining water properly. If these granules aren’t cleaned out in a timely manner, they can result in more serious gutter damage during future storms.

Basement Flooding

Severe winter storms that result in several feet of snow can cause excessive groundwater once the it melts. This excess water can seep into your house and potentially cause flooding in a basement that will require professional water damage restoration.

If you have a basement, you can guard against this issue by waterproofing your home to seal gaps and ensure excess water isn’t able to penetrate the property. You should also clear snow and ice from your downspouts to make sure water can flow through properly.

Missing Siding

Just as heavy winds can tear shingles off your roof, it can also cause pieces of siding to tear away from the side of the building, exposing the structure to potential damage from future weather events.

Cracked Concrete

Over time, repeated alternating cycles of deep freezes and snow melt can cause damage to a concrete. During the melting cycles, water can enter through small cracks in the concrete, causing them to expand during the next freeze cycle. Eventually, these cracks, if located adjacent to your home or business can allow water to seep into the structure, causing damage.

Cousino Restoration & Environmental Can Help After Winter Storm Damage

When a winter storm causes destruction to your home or business, there can be a lot of work to restore your property to its pre-damaged condition. At Cousino Restoration & Environmental, we have you covered.

Our team has been performing comprehensive storm damage restoration services throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan for over 45 years. We understand how vulnerable your property is after significant storm damage, and we can help you address any issues you may be experiencing.

We have experience handling storm damage to properties of all sizes. We work with both residential and commercial buildings, and our team is ready 24/7 to assist. No amount of damage is too serious for our team. We have the expertise to ensure your storm damage repairs leave your property in just as good condition as it was prior to the winter storm, if not better.

Contact us to schedule an appointment. Cousino Restoration & Environmental serves customers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.