Storm damage.
What to do next.

From Lincoln and Josh at Linc Point · Updated October 2026

The hours after a storm are stressful and messy. Doing things in the right order keeps you safe and makes the insurance side a lot less painful. This is the order we would go in.

1. Safety first

• Stay inside until the storm has properly passed. Another cell can come through right behind the first.
• Treat every fallen powerline as live. Keep well clear, keep kids and pets away, and call 000.
• If you smell gas, do not light anything or switch anything electrical on or off. Turn the gas off at the meter or bottle if you can do it safely, and call your gas supplier. If you can still smell it after that, or the leak is out of control, get everyone out and call 000.
• Stay off the roof. Wet tiles and sheets are slippery, damaged ones can give way, and you cannot see what is underneath.
• Keep out from under ceilings that are sagging or bulging with water.
• If water has got near lights or power points, switch off at the switchboard only if the switchboard is dry and you can reach it safely. Never touch a switchboard that is wet or damaged. Have a licensed electrician check everything before the power goes back on.

2. Call the SES for urgent help

The Queensland SES helps with storm and flood damage, like a roof letting water in or a tree that has come down on the house. Call 132 500. There is more on what they do on the Queensland SES website.

Be patient after a big storm. SES crews are volunteers, and they get to the most urgent jobs first. What they do is temporary, usually a tarp over the damage to stop more water getting in. You will still need a proper repair.

3. Photograph everything before you clean up

This is the one people regret skipping. Before you move anything, sweep up or throw anything out, take photos and video.

• Wide shots of each side of the house first, then close-ups of the damage
• Inside: ceilings, walls, floors, furniture and anything wet or broken
• The cause, if you can see it safely: the branch, the missing tiles, the gutter that overflowed
• Damaged belongings before they go anywhere. Ask your insurer before you throw out anything big.
• Every receipt: tarps, emergency repairs, cleaning, somewhere to stay

Your phone records the date on each photo. Back them up somewhere other than the phone, just in case.

4. Contact your insurer early

Ring them or lodge the claim online as soon as you can, even if you do not know the full extent of the damage yet. Early is better than perfect. When you talk to them, ask:

• What they need from you: photos, quotes, receipts
• Whether they are sending an assessor, and roughly when
• Whether you can arrange emergency make-safe work, and if there is a limit on what you can spend without approval
• Whether they want their builder to do the repair, or you can choose the trade

Write down the claim number, who you spoke to and when. Keep notes on every call. It saves a lot of going around in circles later.

We are not insurers or loss assessors, and we cannot tell you what your policy covers. Only your insurer can do that.

5. Make-safe first, proper repair second

There are two different jobs here, and it helps to keep them separate in your head.

Make-safe is about stopping more damage right now. A tarp over a hole in the roof. Cutting away a branch hanging off the gutter. Isolating a damaged circuit. Boarding up a broken window. It is fast and it is temporary.

The permanent repair is replacing the tiles or sheets, re-bedding the ridge capping, fixing the ceiling or replacing the gutter. This is where you want a proper written quote with a clear scope, and a trade whose licence you have checked.

Do not let anyone rush you from one straight into the other. A tarp today does not mean you need to sign up for a new roof today.

6. Watch out for door-knockers

After a big storm, people turn up in the street offering to fix roofs on the spot. Some are genuine. Some are not. Be careful if they:

• Want cash, or a big payment, before any work starts
• Cannot or will not give you a QBCC licence number, or the name on the licence does not match
• Give you a price with no written scope
• Push you to decide today because they are only in the street this week
• Find extra damage on your roof that you cannot see and they will not photograph

You can check any licence for free on the QBCC register. Our guide on how to check a QBCC licence shows you how. And if someone knocks on your door uninvited and you agree to work worth more than $100, Queensland's door-to-door sales rules generally give you a 10 business day cooling-off period, and the trader generally cannot start the work or take any payment during it.

7. Get it quoted and sorted

Once everyone is safe and your insurer knows, the next job is getting the repair quoted and done properly. That is the part we take off your hands.

• One call to us. We work out what the damage actually needs, which is not always the trade you would guess.
• We line up the right licensed local trade for the make-safe and the repair.
• We put the quote together with photos and a clear scope, and walk you through it. You can send it straight to your insurer.
• We follow it up and keep you posted until the job is finished.

We cannot promise how quickly trades can get to everyone after a big storm. When half the street needs a roofer, there is a queue. We will tell you honestly where you sit in it.

Quick answers

Should I get up on the roof to look at the damage?

No. Wet or damaged roofs are dangerous, and a fall is a far bigger problem than a leak. Look from the ground, take photos, and let someone with the right gear go up.

Can I start cleaning up before the insurer has seen it?

Do what you need to do to stay safe and stop more damage, but photograph everything first. Ask your insurer before you throw out damaged belongings.

Will the SES fix my roof?

The SES helps with urgent, temporary work like putting a tarp over a damaged roof. A permanent repair still needs a licensed trade.