By Jason Lopez | Acadiana Roof Restoration LLC | Scott, LA | Veteran-Owned | IBHS FORTIFIED Certified | Roof Maxx 5-Star Dealer
South Louisiana homeowners face a roofing challenge no national guide understands: hurricanes that arrive with 130+ MPH winds, insurance adjusters trained to minimize payouts, and a climate so extreme that standard asphalt shingles fail years faster than the manufacturer rates suggest.
This guide covers every step a Louisiana homeowner needs after a storm: how to document damage correctly, how to protect your home before the adjuster arrives, what your insurance company is required to do under Louisiana law, and how to tell the difference between a legitimate contractor and a storm chaser.
Acadiana Roof Restoration (ARR) is an IBHS FORTIFIED certified contractor and veteran-owned roofing company serving Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and surrounding south Louisiana parishes.
Stay off the roof. Walk the perimeter from the ground to assess visible damage. Look for missing shingles, exposed felt paper, sagging sections, downed branches resting on the structure, and debris on the roof surface. Do not attempt repairs before documenting everything. South Louisiana's post-hurricane rain arrives fast and any open breach needs a tarp within hours, not days. Contact Acadiana Roof Restoration for a free post-storm inspection before your insurance adjuster arrives. Read our complete guide on how to file a Louisiana roof insurance claim for more details.
Call 337-999-ROOF (337-999-7663) in Lafayette or 225-385-ROOF (225-385-7663) in Baton Rouge for a free post-storm roof assessment. No pressure, no obligation.
Before moving any debris, photograph everything. Take wide shots from all four sides of the house showing the full roofline. Move in for close-up shots of missing shingles, cracked flashing, dented vents, and any debris still in contact with the roof. Go into the attic and photograph water stains, wet insulation, and any daylight visible through the decking. Record a video walkthrough narrating what you see and noting the storm date out loud. Use a coin next to hail marks for scale. Do not let the insurance adjuster be the first professional on your roof. An independent inspection establishes a baseline they cannot dispute.
Louisiana statute RS 22:1892 requires insurers to initiate loss adjustment within 14 days of your notification and pay or deny a claim within 30 days of receiving proof of loss. For catastrophic claims after the 2024 amendment to the bad faith statutes, the window extends to 90 days. Failure to meet these deadlines without cause triggers a 50% penalty on the undisputed amount plus attorney fees under RS 22:1973. The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) enforces these requirements. Most homeowners do not know these deadlines exist. Their adjuster does. Write the claim number and adjuster name in your notes the day you open the claim.
One year from the storm date, not from the day you noticed the damage. For incidents on or after July 1, 2024, you have two years to file a lawsuit if a claim is denied. Named storm deductibles are typically 2-5% of your insured home value, not a flat dollar amount. For a home insured at $300,000, that means a $6,000 to $15,000 deductible on a named storm. Regular thunderstorm or hail events use your standard flat deductible, typically $1,000 to $2,500. Confirm your deductible type with your agent before filing.
Call 337-999-ROOF (337-999-7663) in Lafayette or 225-385-ROOF (225-385-7663) in Baton Rouge for a free post-storm roof assessment. No pressure, no obligation.
Wind damage typically appears as missing shingles in patterns at corners and ridges, exposed felt paper, and lifted or separated flashing around chimneys and vents. Hail damage appears as random impact marks across the surface, bruised shingles with soft spots when pressed, and granule loss concentrated at impact zones. Photograph hail marks with a coin or ruler next to each strike for scale. Insurance adjusters measure wind and hail damage separately and may apply different coverage terms to each. A roof can have both types from a single storm and each may need to be claimed separately.
The damage that causes the most problems is the damage you cannot see from the ground. Deck sheathing separation from trusses is only visible from the attic. Secondary water barrier breaches show no exterior sign but allow water intrusion during every subsequent rain. Ridge vent displacement looks minor from below but creates a direct pathway for wind-driven rain. Flashing gaps around chimneys, plumbing vents, and skylights allow chronic slow leaks that cause mold in 30 to 60 days. Gutters pulling away from fascia allow water to run behind the wall assembly. This is exactly why a professional post-storm inspection is necessary before your adjuster visit, not after.
Any breach in the roof surface requires a tarp in south Louisiana. The combination of high humidity and post-storm rain that follows every hurricane means mold growth begins within 48 to 72 hours of moisture intrusion. Signs that require same-day emergency tarping: missing shingles over more than one contiguous square (100 square feet), exposed felt paper visible from the ground, a puncture from a fallen branch or debris, or visible daylight when looking up from inside the attic. Professional emergency tarping in Louisiana typically runs $600 to $2,000 depending on roof size, pitch, and accessibility. Save every mitigation receipt. Your insurer is required to reimburse reasonable emergency mitigation costs.
Call 337-999-ROOF (337-999-7663) in Lafayette or 225-385-ROOF (225-385-7663) in Baton Rouge for a free post-storm roof assessment. No pressure, no obligation.
Storm chasers arrive in fresh-branded trucks within 24 to 48 hours of a hurricane, usually with out-of-state plates. Red flags: pressure to sign same day, requests you sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) form before any work begins, offering to "handle your deductible" (waiving a deductible is illegal in Louisiana under RS 22:1973.1), a quote given without anyone getting on your roof, and no verifiable local office address. Before signing anything, verify the contractor's Louisiana license at the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) at lslbc.louisiana.gov. Acadiana Roof Restoration is headquartered in Scott, LA, has a verifiable LSLBC license, and has been serving Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and surrounding parishes since its founding.
FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) is not a replacement for homeowners insurance and should not be treated as one. FEMA IA provides limited grants for uninsured or underinsured losses after a federal disaster declaration. Maximum grant amounts are capped annually and are typically a fraction of the actual cost of roof repair or replacement. FEMA IA is a last-resort supplement for homeowners whose insurance was insufficient or lapsed. Separately, for presidentially declared disasters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Operation Blue Roof program provides temporary roof coverings at no cost to qualifying homeowners while permanent repairs are arranged. Check FEMA.gov for current grant caps and program eligibility after any declared disaster.
Replace when: structural deck damage covers more than 25 to 30% of the roof area, shingles are 15 or more years old with widespread granule loss that predates the storm, pre-existing leaks were worsened rather than caused by the storm, or frame or truss damage is visible from the attic. A roof that was marginal before the storm is rarely worth repairing after it. If replacement is the right call, ask about IBHS FORTIFIED construction. FORTIFIED replaces qualify for grants up to $10,000 through the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program and for insurance premium discounts with select carriers, including up to 40% off the wind portion with Liberty Mutual and Safeco.
Call 337-999-ROOF (337-999-7663) in Lafayette or 225-385-ROOF (225-385-7663) in Baton Rouge for a free post-storm roof assessment. No pressure, no obligation.
IBHS FORTIFIED certified roofs require a sealed roof deck (a secondary water barrier over the full deck surface), enhanced perimeter attachments that use ring-shank nails and double the fastener count at the edges, continuous load path connections from the roof down to the foundation, and reinforced ridge caps. In IBHS laboratory testing, FORTIFIED roofs have sustained winds above 130 MPH without losing shingles. Standard residential construction begins to lose shingles at 90 MPH. After Hurricanes Laura and Ida, documented surveys of affected parishes showed FORTIFIED homes sustained dramatically less damage than neighboring standard-built homes. Under Louisiana Act 533, insurers are required to offer premium discounts for FORTIFIED-certified homes. Liberty Mutual and Safeco offer up to 40%. USAA offers up to 37%. State Farm offers up to 35%. Allstate offers up to 30%. Acadiana Roof Restoration is an IBHS FORTIFIED certified contractor. Call today to ask whether your storm replacement qualifies.