How to Use This Restoration Services Resource

Prostormdamage.com organizes reference-grade information about storm damage restoration across residential, commercial, and industrial contexts in the United States. This page explains how the resource is structured, what types of content appear within it, and how to locate specific topics by damage category, service type, or process phase. Understanding the organizational logic makes it faster to find contractor credential requirements, insurance documentation guidance, or technical standards applicable to a specific storm event.

What to Look for First

The starting point depends on where a property owner, adjuster, or contractor stands in the restoration sequence. Three distinct entry points serve different needs.

Damage type is the most common entry point. The types of storm damage restored page classifies damage by its physical mechanism — wind, hail, flood and storm surge, ice loading, lightning strike, and tornado — rather than by event name alone. This matters because a single weather event can produce multiple, legally distinct damage categories. A hurricane, for example, generates wind damage governed by International Building Code (IBC) structural provisions, flood damage subject to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rules administered by FEMA, and water intrusion that may trigger IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration protocols. These categories are not interchangeable in insurance claims or contractor licensing contexts.

Process phase is the correct entry point when the damage type is already known but the next step in the restoration sequence is not. The storm damage restoration services overview maps the full sequence from emergency stabilization through final inspection, with discrete phases including emergency board-up and tarping, damage assessment, debris removal, structural repair, and preventive hardening.

Contractor or credential verification is the relevant starting point for anyone evaluating a service provider. The storm restoration contractor licensing and credentials page covers state-level licensing requirements, IICRC certifications, and bonding standards without providing legal advice on specific jurisdictional requirements.

How Information Is Organized

Content on this resource follows a consistent hierarchical structure built around four classification layers:

1. Storm event type — The broadest layer. Pages cover hurricane, tornado, ice storm and winter storm, and general wind or hail events as distinct categories because each carries different structural failure modes, regulatory touchpoints, and insurance claim pathways.
2. Damage category — Within each storm event, damage is classified by the affected building system: roof, siding and exterior, windows and doors, structural framing, interior finishes, and drainage or water intrusion pathways. Pages such as roof damage restoration after storm and mold remediation after storm damage address the specific technical and regulatory environment for each system.
3. Service function — This layer covers what restoration contractors actually do: assessment and inspection, documentation for insurance, emergency stabilization, repair, and post-restoration preventive work.
4. Scope — Residential and commercial applications are separated where licensing, code compliance, or scale of work creates meaningful differences in process or contractor requirements.

Topic pages within each layer identify the governing standards by name — such as IICRC S520 for mold remediation, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 for personal protective equipment in cleanup contexts, and local amendments to International Residential Code (IRC) for structural repairs — without interpreting those standards for specific situations.

Limitations and Scope

This resource covers restoration services for storm-caused property damage in the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. It does not cover:

• Construction defects unrelated to storm events, even when a storm reveals an underlying defect
• Auto or marine damage, which follows separate appraisal and repair frameworks outside property restoration
• Agricultural loss, governed by USDA programs rather than property insurance or building codes
• Casualty or liability claims, which are legal matters outside the scope of restoration reference content

Content reflects publicly available standards from named agencies including FEMA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Pages on iicrc standards in storm restoration and storm restoration industry standards and certifications detail which standards apply to which service categories.

Geographic scope is national, meaning content addresses federal frameworks and notes where state-level variation is significant — for example, Florida's specific wind mitigation inspection requirements under the Florida Building Code differ from those in states without mandatory wind mitigation programs.

How to Find Specific Topics

By damage mechanism: Navigate through wind damage restoration, hail damage restoration, flood and storm surge restoration, or lightning strike damage restoration to reach content specific to a physical cause.

By building system: Use structural storm damage restoration, interior storm damage restoration, siding and exterior storm damage restoration, or window and door storm damage restoration to locate system-specific restoration processes.

By process step: The following numbered sequence mirrors the standard restoration workflow:

1. Storm damage assessment and inspection
2. Emergency board-up and tarping services
3. Debris removal and site cleanup
4. Storm damage documentation for insurance
5. Working with insurance adjusters — storm restoration
6. Structural, exterior, and interior repair (by building system pages above)
7. Preventive measures and storm-proofing after restoration

By terminology: The storm damage restoration glossary defines technical terms used across all pages, including adjuster terminology, IICRC classifications, FEMA flood zone designations, and building code references.

By cost or timeline: Storm damage restoration cost factors and storm restoration response timeline address the variables that affect project economics and scheduling without providing project-specific estimates.