Maury County Tornado 2024
One of my business partners, Hank Stoppelbein, and I spent much of yesterday afternoon assessing the damage from the EF‑3 Maury County Tornado that ripped through the Columbia, Tennessee, area last Wednesday night. Most of the damage was in the county’s rural areas just east of town. It didn’t take long to figure out that many of the roads had been blocked by trees and made impassable as an immediate consequence of the storm. This obviously made it extremely difficult for first responders to get into the affected area and render assistance. It must have taken a Herculean effort to clear the roads, and county personnel, firemen, police, EMS, rescue personnel, and volunteers deserve everyone’s thanks and gratitude for the job they did that night and the days following. We’re not the Volunteer state for nothing.
Now, as we drove around the area, two things struck me and Hank. First was the number of houses that appeared to only have roof damage (missing shingles). While they were the lucky ones, they should all know that the state of Tennessee has a “matching law” on the books that requires insurance companies to provide sufficient monies so that the damaged slope of a roof, once repairs are done, is restored to a uniform appearance. Splicing in new shingles next to 10-year-old shingles creates a look that resembles a “patchwork quilt” and whose appearance devalues a home. Pay special attention to this. Any licensed roofing company should be aware of this law and help you get fully indemnified.
The other thought I had was that those homeowners whose houses were just “brushed” by the tornadic winds would be wise to start examining the drywall in all the rooms of their houses to see if any of the tape joints have separated or if there are any cracks coming off the corners of any windows or door trim. The change in barometric pressure can cause drywall to “move” and create these splits or cracks. If so, your insurance company needs to pay you for this kind of damage by providing you the monies to repair the drywall and then the repainting of all four walls (so they “match”) within that room.
My colleagues and I have inspected hundreds and hundreds of homes racked by high winds and would be happy to give any of our neighbors in the Maury County tornado a free policy review of their insurance company’s estimate. Just give us a call.
Also, see our helpful article on what to do next here…
