After the Storm: The Northridge Roof Check, in Order

Work from the ground first. Walk the property line with a phone camera: shingles in the yard, debris, dented gutters and vents, and any tree contact, all photographed with the date on the record. From the street, use binoculars or a zoom photo for the slopes; a wet or debris covered roof is not a place for a homeowner in the first day after a storm.

In Northridge the storm check starts with the wind's signature, not the rain's: lifted ridge and rake edges, debris in the valleys, and any canopy contact, photographed from the ground with the storm's date on the record. The Valley's long dry months mean the entry point may not announce itself until the next rain, so the photographs taken this week are the claim's memory. Do not climb a debris covered roof to take them; a zoom lens from the street is the professional instrument here.

Inside, the check is ceilings and the attic hatch: new stains, a drip line, damp insulation. Note which storm produced them, because leaks surface 12 to 72 hours after an event as trapped water moves, and the claim is filed under the storm date, not the discovery date.

Then decide in order: an open roof or active drip is a tarping call today. Damage you can only see as marks and yard shingles is an inspection this week. Either way, keep the photos and any fallen shingles until the assessment is done; they are evidence, not trash.