Garage Door Storm Damage: What to Do First
After a storm, do not run the opener on a damaged garage door. Photograph everything from inside and outside before anyone touches it, then secure the opening and call for an assessment. Storm damage repair starts at $150 for assessment and securing the opening and runs to $1,500 for bracing, panel or track work; a full replacement is quoted separately in writing, and the price does not go up because a hurricane just went through.
What storm damage looks like
Wind does three things to a garage door, and after a named storm we see all three in the same neighborhood.
Panels bent inward. Pressure on the outside of the door bows the sections toward the garage. On a light door the top and middle sections crease along a horizontal line. On a heavier door the bow may be slight, a few inches at the center, and the door still moves. Both are damage.
Twisted or pulled track. The vertical tracks take the load when the door tries to lift, and they bend, pull their lag screws out of the jamb, or spread apart. A door on a spread track runs for a cycle or two, then a roller pops out.
Door pulled off track by pressure. The door lifts, a roller leaves the rail, and the section hangs. Sometimes the whole door drops back crooked. Cables slack and come off the drums on one side, which unloads a spring unevenly. This is the one that hurts people, and it is the one not to touch.
Water and debris get into the tracks as well. Sand in a bottom roller and salt water on a spring both matter, but they are the second problem, not the first.
First hour: do not run it
If the door is damaged in any of those ways, do not press the opener button. Not to test it. The opener will try to lift a door that is bound in the track, and it will strip its gear, crease a bowed section further, or pull a section off the rollers entirely. Every attempt makes the repair bigger.
Do not pull the manual release on a door that is off track or hanging. The cables and springs are holding it in a way they were not designed for, and releasing the trolley can let the door move.
If the door is closed and holding, leave it closed. If it is open and cannot be closed, do not stand under it and do not park under it.
Photograph everything before anyone touches it
This is the step people skip because they want the door dealt with. Take the photographs first. Adjusters want to see the damage as the storm left it, not after a technician has straightened the track.
| Photo | Why |
|---|---|
| Outside, full door, straight on | Shows the bow and any creases |
| Outside, from the side, low | Shows how far the door is pushed in |
| Inside, full door with the tracks | Shows track, rollers, cables and any separation |
| Each damaged section, close | Creases, cracked stiles, broken hinges |
| Each track from the floor to the curve | Bent track, pulled screws, spread |
| The cables and drums | Slack, frayed or off the drum |
| The opener and rail | Bent rail, damaged trolley |
| The label on the door | Model and rating, if readable |
| Debris that hit the door | Branch, tile, neighbor’s fence |
Take them in daylight if you can, and take more than you think you need. Then keep them. A claim can take weeks, and a photograph that is easy to find in October is worth something.
Secure the opening
Most policies expect you to prevent further damage once the storm is over. For a garage door, that means the opening is closed off from rain and from entry, and the door cannot fall.
If the door is down and holding, lock it. Engage the slide lock, or clamp the track just above a roller on each side with locking pliers. Then leave it.
If the door is open, off track, or hanging, we secure it. That means bracing the sections, clamping the tracks, and if needed lowering the door under control and locking it, or covering the opening with plywood if the door cannot be made safe. The assessment and the securing are the $150 starting point on storm damage repair. You get a written assessment the same visit, with photographs, that you can hand to your adjuster.
What repair costs after a storm
The same prices as any other week. This is the part we want to be clearest about, because after every hurricane the complaint people have is about companies that doubled their prices when the whole street needed doors.
| Work | Price |
|---|---|
| Storm damage assessment and securing the opening | From $150 |
| Bracing, panel or track repair | $150 to $1,500 |
| Off-track repair | $140 to $600, severe cases with bent track higher |
| Panel replacement, per section, if the profile is still made | $250 to $800 |
| Cable and drum, both sides | $225 to $400 |
| Emergency same-day or after-hours dispatch | $150 to $300 premium, stated before dispatch |
| Full replacement, standard wind-rated steel | $950 to $4,200, permit included in the quote |
| Full replacement, impact-rated or HVHZ door | $1,800 to $6,500, permit included in the quote |
Those numbers are on our price list, and they were there before the storm. The emergency premium applies to the dispatch, never to the repair, and we tell you what it is before anyone leaves. Labor, where quoted hourly, is $45 to $120 an hour.
We do not inflate storm repairs. We say that in writing because it is the thing you most need to know from a garage door company in the two weeks after a hurricane.
Repair or replace
A door with one creased section and straight tracks is a repair, if the manufacturer still makes that profile. A door with two or more creased sections, spread tracks and a bent opener rail is usually a replacement, because the panel cost alone approaches a new door and the new door is rated.
The rating is the reason replacement often makes sense after a storm. A door that bowed in was not up to the pressure at your site, or was rated for it once and has aged out. A replacement in Florida must be rated for the design pressure at the site and needs a permit pulled by a licensed contractor. In Miami-Dade and Broward that means a door with a Miami-Dade NOA. Elsewhere, including Southwest Florida, it means a Florida Product Approval. We go through the decision in repair or replace.
After a storm, rated doors are also in short supply. We tell you the lead time when we quote and we do not promise a door we cannot get. Manufacturer lead times after a major storm are covered in the best time to replace a garage door in Florida.
The claim is yours; the paperwork is ours
Insurance claims belong to the homeowner. We do not file them, we do not negotiate them, and we do not tell you what your policy covers, because we do not know your policy.
What we do is give you what the adjuster asks for: a written assessment with the cause of damage as we found it, dated photographs, an itemized quote for repair and, if relevant, an itemized quote for replacement. If the adjuster wants to inspect before permanent work, we can wait, with the opening secured. If the adjuster accepts photographs and a quote, we proceed when you say so.
Storm chasers
After a hurricane, companies you have never heard of arrive from out of state and work the damaged streets. Some are fine. The pattern to watch for is the one behind most complaints: a knock on the door, a price that is only good today, cash, no written quote, no permit, and a company that is gone by the time the door fails.
Ask three things. Is the quote in writing. Who pulls the permit. Where were you working in April. A local licensed and insured company answers all three without pausing. Our standing guide to the trade’s bad habits is garage door repair scams, and none of it changes because there was a storm.
Related reading
- Prepare your garage door for a hurricane
- Garage door off track: what it means
- Garage door panel replacement cost
- Hurricane-rated garage door cost
Related questions
The door is bowed inward but still closes. Is that fine?
No. A bowed door has taken pressure past its limit, and the panels, hinges and struts are stressed even if it moves. It may run for a week and then jam or crease on a cycle. Have it assessed before relying on it.
Can I push the door back into the track myself?
No. A door off its track is held by the cables and springs at odd angles, and moving it by hand can drop it or snap a cable. Leave it, photograph it, and call. Off-track repair runs $140 to $600, and the severe cases with bent track run higher.
Will insurance pay for my garage door after a hurricane?
That is between you and your insurer, and it depends on your policy, your deductible and the cause of the damage. We provide the written assessment, the photos and the itemized quote your adjuster asks for. We do not file or negotiate the claim.
Should I wait for the adjuster before repairing?
Secure the opening first, because most policies expect you to prevent further damage. Photograph everything before that work. Then ask your insurer whether they want to inspect before permanent repair; many accept photos and an itemized quote.
Someone knocked on my door offering to fix it today for cash. Should I?
Be careful. Post-storm door to door offers, cash only, no written quote and no permit are the pattern behind most complaints after every hurricane. A replacement door needs a permit pulled by a licensed contractor. Get the quote in writing and check the company before anyone starts.