The roof deck
Wind lifts shingles first, then the sheathing under them. Once a few panels of decking are gone, the attic is open to the sky and the insulation acts like a sponge over the ceiling drywall.
Storm Season, Winter and Spring
Tornadoes in the Pine Belt
Twice in four years a large tornado crossed Hattiesburg and Petal, once on a Sunday evening in February and once before dawn on a Saturday in January. Neither came in the season most people think of as tornado season.
What the two storms did, what a tornado does to a house in particular, the order of the first days after one, and a short list for a dry Saturday before the next one.
Roof open right now?
If rain is getting in through a broken roof or window, call {{PHONE}}. A person answers at any hour, and a tarp is the first thing we talk about.
People who lived through the February 2013 storm in West Hattiesburg still describe the sound before they describe the damage. Then came weeks of blue tarps and phone calls to the insurer.
This page is for the days after the wind has passed. It covers what the Weather Service measured, what a tornado actually does to a Pine Belt house, and the order of things once the family is safe, so that a damaged house does not become a wet house.
Two Storms Through Hattiesburg and Petal
Both tracks ran from Lamar County northeast into Forrest County, through the most built up part of the Pine Belt.
The National Weather Service office in Jackson surveyed both storms. In 2013 it described "a large tornado which touched down west of Oak Grove and tracked through the very populated West Hattiesburg area" and on "through the cities of Hattiesburg and Petal." In 2017 the survey found that "an EF-3 tornado tracked through Lamar and Forrest counties, killing four people in Hattiesburg and injuring over 50 others." In Petal that night the tornado "got very wide and continued to cause EF2 type damage to businesses along Main Street."
| Event | Rating and peak wind | Time | Path | Deaths and injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 10, 2013 | EF4, 170 mph | 5:03 to 5:33 p.m. | 21 miles long, three quarters of a mile wide, from west of Purvis to east of Macedonia | 0 deaths, 82 injuries |
| January 21, 2017 | EF3, 145 mph | 3:35 to 4:13 a.m. | 31.3 miles long, half a mile wide, from northwest of Purvis to northeast of Runnelstown | 4 deaths, 57 injuries |
After the 2017 storm, Forrest County emergency management officials counted 499 homes "destroyed or with major damage and 632 homes receiving minor damage," according to the Weather Service. Many of the houses near a track are not flattened. They lose shingles and decking, take a limb through a window, and then sit through the rain that follows.
What a Tornado Does to a House
The visible damage is the roof and the glass. The expensive damage is usually the water that comes in afterwards.
Windows and doors
Flying debris breaks glass, and wind that gets inside a house pushes on the roof from below. The Mississippi Insurance Department’s claims guide makes the related storm prep point that opening a window "doesn’t equalize the pressure" and instead "pressurizes the inside of the house."
The rain after
Storms that spawn tornadoes often bring rain with them or behind them. A house with an opening in the roof keeps taking water with every shower until it is covered, and wet ceilings and walls start the mold clock. The EPA says to dry water damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
The First Days After
In this order. The Mississippi Insurance Department puts safety, photographs and temporary repairs in the same sequence.
Check for gas and power hazards before going in
The state’s claims guide says to make sure "there are no safety issues like downed electrical lines or broken gas lines," and if there are, to leave and wait for local authorities. If you smell gas, get everyone out and call the gas company and 911 from outside. Treat every line on the ground as live.
Watch your footing
The same guide warns about "broken glass and sharp objects" and anything "that could cause you to trip or fall." Wear boots and work gloves, and keep children out of damaged rooms.
Photograph before you touch anything
The Insurance Department’s storm page says to "Photograph the damage to your property in order to assist in filing an insurance claim." Start wide, then the roof, windows and wet ceilings.
Cover the openings
The claims guide’s own words: "Try to prevent further damage by making essential repairs, like covering roofs, or windows with plywood, tarp, canvas, or other waterproof materials." A tarp has to run past the ridge and be battened down, or the next gust lifts it.
Keep every receipt
The guide prints this line in capitals: "KEEP ALL RECEIPTS FOR EMERGENCY REPAIRS TO GIVE TO YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY." Tarps, plywood and a hotel if you cannot stay.
Report the claim, then wait on permanent work
Call your agent or insurer as soon as you can. The Insurance Department says "Don’t have permanent repairs made until your insurance company has inspected the property." Drying and tarping are not permanent repairs; a new roof is. The full sequence is on how a claim works in Mississippi.
Water is the second storm
A roof opening left uncovered over a rainy weekend turns a roofing claim into a ceilings, insulation and flooring claim. Getting the house closed in and drying started in the first day is the single thing that most changes the size of the repair. Our crews tarp, extract and dry, and the water damage restoration work is documented room by room for the adjuster.
When Crews Are Scarce
After a storm that damages hundreds of homes, every roofer in the region is booked and trucks with out of state plates appear on the side streets. Be careful with anyone who knocks on the door. The Insurance Department warns against contractors "who demand upfront payment before work is initiated or payment in full before work is completed," and asks you to pay by check or money order and keep a receipt. Our page on checking a contractor shows how to look up a Mississippi licence before you sign.
A Dry Saturday Before Storm Season
Both tornadoes in the table came in the cool months. Do this list in the fall or early winter, not in May.
- Find your homeowners policy and photograph the declarations page so it lives on your phone.
- Walk every room and record a slow video of the contents, closets and garage included.
- Know where the gas shutoff and the main electrical panel are, and keep the tool for the gas valve beside it.
- Pick the interior room on the lowest floor where the family goes, and keep shoes and a flashlight there.
- Buy two heavy tarps, a box of roofing nails, furring strips and a few sheets of plywood before the stores run out.
- Have dead limbs over the roof taken down while it is calm.
- Check that the garage door is braced or rated for wind; the state’s guide lists bracing as a way to limit future damage.
- Save our number, {{PHONE}}, under a name you will find in the dark.
Questions After a Pine Belt Tornado
Are tornadoes really a winter thing here?
They can come in any month, and both of these came in winter. The two large tornadoes this page covers, in 2013 and 2017, came on February 10 and January 21, which is why the Saturday list above belongs in the fall, not after the first warm week of spring.
The roof has a hole and the insurer has not called back. Can I fix it?
You can and should cover it. The state’s claims guide asks homeowners to prevent further damage with plywood or a tarp and to keep the receipts. What waits for the insurer is permanent work, such as a new roof, unless your company tells you otherwise in writing.
My house was on the edge of the track and only lost shingles. Should I still report it?
Usually yes. In 2017 the county counted 632 homes with minor damage, and minor wind damage often hides wet decking and insulation. Photograph it, cover it and report it; your agent can tell you how your deductible applies.
Sources for this page
- NWS Jackson, February 10, 2013 tornado, the EF4 track, rating, time and injuries.
- NWS Jackson, January 21, 2017 tornado, the EF3 track, Petal damage and the Forrest County home counts.
- Mississippi Insurance Department, weather and disaster preparedness, photographs, permanent repairs and contractor payment advice.
- Mississippi Insurance Department, post disaster claims guide, safety first, temporary repairs, receipts and window pressure.
- EPA, a brief guide to mold, moisture and your home, the 24 to 48 hour drying window.
Storm Damage at Your House
A person answers 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Tell us where the opening is and how much rain is getting in.