Storm damageWind, fallen limbs and tarped holes near Colonia
Storm Damage in Colonia, NJ
Storm damage to a Colonia roof: missing shingles, a limb on the slope or a tarp holding a hole shut.
Call (732) 568-2812, say what the weather did and what you have covered, and the contractor schedules the look.
Leave it and get help if
- A wire is down on the roof, a branch or the ground: treat it as live, phone and cable lines too, keep well away, and call 911 and the electric company.
- A ceiling sags or bulges, or water runs from a fixture overhead: vacate that room, and call 911 if the ceiling gives way.
- A limb is tangled in wires: do not cut it or pull it; leave it for the utility's tree crew.
- The roof is wet, covered in debris or slick with ice: stay off it and off the ladder, and dial 911 for a fall.
Four things to settle before a tarp goes up
Where will it be fastened?
The picture shows one lying across the middle of the slope with wooden strips along its edges, away from the gutter and the roof edge.
What gets photographed first?
The state insurance department wants pictures of damaged property before any of it is thrown out.
Which parts are repaired and which are matched?
A patch of new shingles beside old ones is a decision worth making out loud.
What goes in writing?
The state's contract rule, explained on the rules page, calls for the work to be described and the start and finish dates named once a job passes a set price.
What changes the scale of storm work
One slope or several, and whether water reached the deck and the insulation, set the size. The Department of Energy's brief removes roofing down to the sheathing where it is damaged and pulls out soaked insulation. Height, pitch and how much debris is on the roof change the setup.
The insurance department's checklist says the insurer provides a copy of its damage estimate and, on request, names a contractor willing to do the work at that estimate. That gives you a second document to read next to any roofer's description.
What it looks like
- Shingles or pieces of them scattered across the yard after wind
- A branch or a whole limb resting on the roof or the gutter
- A stain on the ceiling that showed up while the storm blew or right after
- A gutter hanging loose at one end, or a downspout bent away from the wall
- Bare boards or a dark patch that shows from the street
How a tarp holds a hole shut
The blue sheet in the picture covers a patch of the slope, not all of it. Wooden strips lie along its edges, pinning the plastic down in the middle of the roof, well away from the edge.
Temporary repairs that keep the damage from spreading, and the receipts for them, are what the state insurance department asks policyholders to hold on to.
What a roofer can look at
Call (732) 568-2812 and describe the storm's effects, anything you have covered and what shows from the lawn; the contractor arranges the visit.
Walking the roof surface for missing, creased or lifted shingles.
Looking at the ridge, hips and edges, where shingles get extra fasteners and dabs of sealant.
Checking flashing, vents and gutters for bends or gaps made by wind or a falling limb.
Reading the attic side for new stains and wet insulation under the damaged area.
Describing temporary cover, such as a tarp, and then the repair options in plain terms.
Asked at the door
How urgent is storm damage, and what can wait?
Dial 911 first if a wire has fallen, a ceiling is sagging or water reaches a light fixture, and step aside. Open holes and fresh leaks: dial (732) 568-2812 as soon as the weather allows, with a tarp or towels as a stopgap. Missing shingles under a dry ceiling can wait for a clear day and a dated photo.
Am I stuck with the roofer my insurance company suggests?
New Jersey's insurance department says no: the insurer's suggested contractor is optional, and the homeowner chooses who does the work. Its storm checklist covers reporting the loss promptly, making temporary repairs, saving receipts and photographing damage. What a policy pays is a question for the insurer or the Consumer Hotline, 1-800-446-7467. For the roof itself, call (732) 568-2812.
Do Iselin and Edison get the same storms?
Often, but not always at the same strength. On 16-17 January 2022 the Weather Service's preliminary review listed a 66 mph public report in Hopelawn and a 36 mph reading at Edison. The Iselin page and the Edison page are on the same line; call (732) 568-2812 with the address.
Ridge, hip, rake and eave: where wind gets under shingles
- Ridge and hips
- FEMA's sheet places a fastener on each side of the ridge and four 1-inch dabs of roof cement on the field shingle at hips and ridges.
- Rakes
- The sloping edges at the gable ends get two 1-inch dabs on the metal drip edge.
- Eave
- The first row, the starter strip, has its tabs cut off and sits 1 to 2.5 inches from the edge.
- Rating
- The sheet suggests shingles with a UL 2390 class of D, G or H at least equal to the code's basic wind speed.
Looks you can take
- Walk the yard before anything is cleared and photograph shingle pieces, limbs and debris with the roof in the background.
- Look at ceilings and through the attic hatch for new stains, and write down which rooms and when you noticed.
- From the ground, scan the ridge, the edges and the corners for gaps in the shingle pattern.
- Keep every receipt for materials bought to cover or dry the damage, and keep damaged pieces until the insurer has looked or says they can go.
Paperwork after a storm
A 2018 state notice calls roof-covering repair or replacement, whatever the amount, ordinary maintenance with no construction permit, for one- and two-family homes that share no wall with another building. Edison's code page treats roofing as permit work, and Woodbridge's pages do not mention it. Both offices and their numbers are under Papers to ask for.
Notes from the sources
- NJ Department of Banking and Insurance, Steps for storm damage claims
- FEMA, Technical Fact Sheet No. 7.3, Asphalt Shingle Roofing for High-Wind Regions
- U.S. Department of Energy, Repairing Roofs and Ceilings technical brief
- PSE&G, Downed power lines (electric safety)
- NIOSH, Ladder safety (CDC archive, reviewed 1 March 2024)
- National Weather Service Mount Holly, event review of 16-17 January 2022
- National Weather Service Mount Holly, January 2016 winter storm snowfall report
- NJ Department of Community Affairs, Strategic Recovery Planning Report to Woodbridge Township (May 2014)
Checked 1 Nov 2026
Calling in
Jot down the address, how old you think the roof is and what you can see from the lawn. Then call (732) 568-2812. In a rental, the landlord or the property manager is who you phone first. Calls cover Colonia, Iselin and Edison.
