Why Austin's trees take roofs with them
Austin's live oaks, cedar elms, hackberries and ashe junipers keep their leaves or needles through winter, so freezing rain has a huge surface to cling to. An inch of ice can add thousands of pounds to a mature live oak's crown, and limbs that have survived a century of drought and wind come down under it. Winter Storm Mara in 2023 was the worst example in decades; Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 did its damage mostly through cold and power loss rather than ice loading, though it froze pipes in attics across the city. The state declared a disaster for Mara on February 4, 2023, and the cleanup ran for months.
What the ice does to a roof
Limbs through the decking. A heavy limb falling twenty feet punches through shingles and OSB and leaves a hole open to the sky, which in an ice storm is also a hole open to meltwater for days. Limbs resting on the roof. A limb that lands and stays grinds through the shingles under it as it shifts, often unseen until the leak appears months later. Gutters torn off. Ice-laden gutters and the limbs that fall into them pull hangers out of the fascia and bring the fascia with them. Ridge and hip caps. Sliding sheets of ice take caps and the top courses with them on steeper roofs. Flashing and boots. Ice backing up at eaves and behind chimneys works under the first courses and finds any flashing that was marginal. Skylights and vents. Cracked by falling ice and limbs, and the first things to leak when it melts.
What to do while the ice is still there
Stay off the roof and away from under the trees; limbs keep falling for days as the ice shifts. If a limb has opened the roof, catch the water inside, move what it can ruin and call; a crew tarps the opening when the roof can be climbed safely, which in an ice storm may be a day or two. If a power line is down with the limb, call Austin Energy or 911 first and keep clear. Photograph everything you can see from the ground, dated, for the claim.
What to check once it melts
Walk the yard and look up. Limbs still on the roof need to come off, and the shingles under them need checking, because a limb that rested for a week has worn through. Look at the gutters for sagging, pulled hangers and sections hanging loose, and at the fascia behind them. Look for lifted or missing caps along the ridges and hips, and for cracked skylights and bent vent caps. Then look inside: stains on ceilings, especially at outside walls and under valleys, and daylight or wet insulation in the attic. The free inspection does all of this with photographs, and it is worth having even when nothing looks wrong from the driveway, because punctures hide under debris.
Insurance after an ice storm
Falling-object and wind damage from a named winter storm is a covered loss on most Texas homeowners policies, less the deductible, which may be the flat all-perils deductible rather than the percentage wind-and-hail deductible depending on the policy's wording; check your declarations. Tree removal from the roof is usually covered when the tree damaged a covered structure. The roofer documents the damage to the adjuster's standard and can meet the adjuster at the house; filing and settling are yours, under Insurance Code 4102.163, and your deductible is yours under Business and Commerce Code 27.02. The claim guide applies to ice as much as to hail.
Before the next one
Have limbs over the roof trimmed back in the growing season; a certified arborist will say which ones are a risk, and it is far cheaper than a new section of roof. Keep gutters clear going into winter so ice has less to grip. Fix marginal flashing and lifted caps before the cold. And know where the water shutoff is, because the attic pipe that freezes in a power outage does more damage than most roof leaks.
Questions on this
A limb is on my roof but the ceiling is dry. Do I need anyone?
Yes. A resting limb grinds through shingles as it shifts, and the puncture under it may not leak until the spring rains. Have it removed properly and the spot inspected; the inspection is free.
Will insurance cover the gutters the ice pulled off?
Usually, as part of a covered storm loss, less the deductible, including the fascia behind them. Photograph them before anything is cleaned up.
How soon can a crew come during an ice storm?
When the roof can be climbed safely, which may be a day or two after the ice stops falling. Active leaks are tarped first. The roofer tells you plainly on the callback when that will be.
Should I knock the ice off my roof or gutters?
No. Ice on a roof comes off with the shingle granules, caps and gutters attached, and a ladder on ice is a hospital visit. Let it melt and have the roof inspected afterward.
Does my policy use the hail deductible or the flat one for ice?
It depends on the wording. Some policies apply the percentage wind-and-hail deductible to all windstorm losses; others apply the flat all-perils deductible to falling objects and ice. Your declarations page says, and your agent can confirm.
Read next: Emergency tarping · Gutters and guards · Roof repair · Hail claims in Texas