Tri-City Roofing Pros · November 10, 2026
Tri-Cities wind does not ask permission. A spring front rolls off the Horse Heaven Hills, gusts rake the ridgelines in Kennewick and South Richland, and by morning there are shingles in the yard and a patch of roof showing underlayment — or worse, bare wood. Here is what the next 48 hours should look like, in order.
Photograph from the ground. Walk the property with your phone: shingles in the yard, the damaged slope from every angle you can see, any debris that hit the roof. Zoom in; do not climb up for a closer shot. A wet or wind-loaded roof is not a place for a homeowner, and ground photos are enough for the first calls.
Check the attic and ceilings. Wind damage that opened the roof may already be letting water in. Look for wet insulation, drips, and new stains, and photograph those too.
Save the shingles. A few of the blown-off shingles in the garage help match material and color for the repair, and they are evidence for insurance. Note the date, the approximate time of the storm, and where each photo was taken. This ten-minute habit is the difference between a smooth claim and an argument.
Temporary cover if the deck is exposed. Bare underlayment survives a few dry days; bare decking does not survive the next rain. If wood is showing and weather is coming, the roof needs a tarp now and the repair behind it. Emergency tarping is part of what our emergency repair service does — call (541) 371-2869.
Call your insurer, with your photos ready. Wind is the classic covered event: sudden storm damage is what homeowners policies exist for, unlike wear and age. Report promptly, describe it as wind damage from the dated storm, and keep every photo and receipt. Whether the final bill clears your deductible is a judgment call you can only make once you have a real repair number, which is why the assessment comes first or alongside, not after a settlement.
Get the full slope assessed, not just the hole. Wind that removed ten shingles rarely left the neighbors untouched. The assessment checks the whole windward slope for:
A repair quote that only counts the missing shingles is a quote that leaves you re-calling after the next front.
Replacing a small patch of missing shingles with sound decking underneath is a minor repair in the usual local band: $350 to $900 for most single-slope patches, as with other minor repairs on our roof repair page. Costs climb when the assessment finds creased and unsealed shingles across a whole slope (the fix is a section, not a patch), when decking got wet and soft, or when the shingle line is discontinued and matching takes sourcing. If the roof was already in its last years, storm damage sometimes moves the repair-versus-replace decision up — an honest roofer will show you the photos and both numbers.
Shingles rarely leave a healthy roof. The usual setup is local: summer heat above 100° ages the sealant strips, thermal cycles loosen fasteners year after year, and then a gust gets under an edge that was only resting, not bonded. The repair that prevents the sequel is in the fastening: replacement shingles set in a high-wind nailing pattern (extra fasteners per shingle, placed in the reinforced nailing zone many manufacturers spec for high-wind installations), edges hand-sealed where the slope takes the prevailing wind, and the surrounding courses checked and resealed while the ladder is up. Replacing only what is missing, without checking what the wind loosened, is how the same slope loses shingles again in March.
If underlayment is intact and no rain is coming, days are usually fine. If decking is exposed, or the damaged side takes the weather, treat it as urgent. When in doubt, photos plus a call gets you a straight answer: (541) 371-2869.
Wind damage from a specific storm is generally the kind of sudden event homeowners policies cover, minus your deductible and subject to your policy's terms. Your documentation (dated photos, saved shingles, a roofer's written assessment) is what the claim stands on.
Please do not get on a wind-damaged roof. Beyond the fall risk, walking a damaged slope breaks more creased shingles and can complicate an insurance claim. Ground photos and a tarp call are the homeowner moves; the roof work is ours.
Cost band ($350–$900 for minor repairs) is Tri-City Roofing Pros' published local range. Insurance notes are general information about how homeowners claims usually treat sudden wind damage, not advice about a specific policy.
We document first, tarp what is open, and quote the whole slope, not just the hole.
or start at the emergency repair page.