Hurricane Bob in 1991 and Sandy in 2012 both left widespread roof damage across Rhode Island, and homes on the bay take the wind first. After a storm, stay off the roof, photograph everything from the ground, ask a roofer about a temporary tarp, and keep the repair and the insurance claim as two separate jobs.
Key takeaways
- Hurricane Bob made landfall at Newport in 1991. Providence recorded sustained winds of 100 mph with a gust of 125 mph, and the storm caused extensive roof damage across the state.
- Bob also pushed a storm surge of 12 to 15 feet up Narragansett Bay and caused well over a hundred million dollars in damage statewide. Surge is a ground-up problem; wind is the roof problem. They are handled by different people.
- Hurricane Sandy in 2012 caused widespread roof damage across Rhode Island too, which makes it a second local reference point that is far more recent than Bob.
- Homes on the bay, on Aquidneck Island and on Conanicut Island meet open wind and salt air first, so fasteners, flashing and the edges of the roof are where a bay-side inspection should start.
- A tarp is a stopgap that keeps water out until a proper repair. Roofers apply one when they are free, and bridges, ferries and tight streets can slow the visit.
- Photographs taken before anything is moved are the most useful thing a homeowner can hand to a roofer or an insurer. Taking them costs nothing and needs no ladder.
What did Hurricane Bob and Sandy do to Rhode Island roofs?
Both storms damaged roofs widely. Bob, in August 1991, made landfall at Newport with Providence recording 100 mph sustained winds and a 125 mph gust. Sandy, in 2012, also caused widespread roof damage across the state. Bob is the benchmark most Rhode Island roofers and insurers still measure other storms against.
Hurricane Bob is the storm older residents of Newport, Portsmouth and Bristol still bring up. The National Weather Service office that covers southern New England describes it as making landfall at Newport, with Providence sustained winds of 100 mph and a gust of 125 mph. It reports extensive roof damage, a storm surge of 12 to 15 feet in Narragansett Bay and well over a hundred million dollars in damage statewide.
Sandy arrived in 2012 and is documented as having caused widespread roof damage across the state as well. For a homeowner the lesson is the same either way: the roof is the first part of the house the wind finds.
Hurricane Carol in 1954 is a third reference, mostly remembered here for the damage to the Stone Bridge at Tiverton, which was replaced in 1956. This guide does not predict the next storm. It explains how to look at damage, what a temporary fix does, and how the pieces of the aftermath fit together.
| Storm | What happened | What it means for a roof |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Carol, 1954 | Damaged the Stone Bridge at Tiverton, rebuilt in 1956 | Shows the Sakonnet and bay shoreline has taken hurricane force for generations |
| Hurricane Bob, 1991 | Landfall at Newport; Providence winds 100 mph sustained, 125 mph gust; surge of 12 to 15 feet in the bay | Extensive roof damage across the state, the benchmark for wind on local roofs |
| Hurricane Sandy, 2012 | Widespread roof damage across Rhode Island | A recent reminder that the damage is not only a story from 1991 |
Why do roofs on the bay take more wind than roofs inland?
Water does not slow the wind down. A house on the Warren, Barrington, Bristol or Jamestown shoreline faces open fetch across Narragansett Bay, so gusts reach the roof edge, ridge and chimney with little to break them, and salt air works on fasteners and flashing all year, not only in storms.
Look at the map and the exposure explains itself. Bristol and Warren sit on a peninsula between the Warren and Kickemuit rivers and the bay. Jamestown is the whole of Conanicut Island, and Portsmouth and Middletown share Aquidneck Island with Newport. A roof in any of those places has fewer trees and buildings between it and open water than a roof in Coventry.
Exposure is not the same thing as elevation. Warren's historic waterfront stands on land only about five to ten feet above sea level, so the ground floor worries about surge while the roof worries about wind. Providence built the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier between 1960 and 1966 to protect the low downtown from surge, and that barrier does nothing for a shingle on a Federal Hill roof. Keep the two hazards apart in your head, because the people who fix them are different.
Salt air is the quiet part of coastal exposure. It is a general pattern, not a measured Rhode Island figure, that metal parts near saltwater corrode faster than the same parts inland, so a bay-side homeowner is reasonable to ask a roofer which fasteners and flashing metals are going on the house.
What does wind damage look like from the ground?
Look for shingles that are missing, creased, curled or lying in the yard, bare patches showing the dark underlayment, bent or lifted metal edging, a chimney cap or vent hood that has moved, and gutters hanging off the fascia. Binoculars from the lawn show more than a ladder and carry no risk.
A walk around the house in daylight, after the wind has dropped, tells you most of what you need to report. Debris often lands beside the damaged spot, so a tab of shingle at the fence line or a strip of metal edging in a flowerbed points back to where the roof lost something. Note which slope it is on and roughly how far from the nearest corner. A roofer will ask.
- Shingles missing, lifted, creased across the middle or lying loose in the yard or gutters
- A darker band or bare patch where the layer under the shingles is showing
- Metal drip edge or ridge cap bent up, peeled back or hanging
- A chimney cap, vent hood, satellite mount or antenna that has shifted
- Gutters pulled away from the fascia, or downspouts bent or detached
- Branches or whole limbs resting on the roof, especially on wooded lots in Coventry, Smithfield and Rehoboth
How is a nor'easter different from a hurricane for a roof?
A hurricane is a short, violent event. A nor'easter tends to be a longer storm that mixes strong wind with rain or snow, so it can strip shingles and then keep wetting the exposed deck for hours. Either way the first move is the same: stay off the roof, photograph the damage, and call.
Rhode Island's own records for the cold months explain why nor'easters matter here. Warwick sees roughly 32 to 37 inches of snow in a year and a cold season of about three months, from early December to mid-March, and published sources differ a little on those figures. A winter storm that lifts shingles in January leaves a roof open to snow and meltwater as well as rain, which is a worse combination than a summer thunderstorm that passes in twenty minutes.
That is a general pattern, not a rule. If wind damage and winter weather arrive together, the deck stays wet for longer, and a tarp becomes more urgent. A later ice dam may also find the weak spot the storm made; the ice dams guide explains how attic heat and poor ventilation cause it.
What should you photograph before anything is moved?
Photograph the whole house from each side, then the damaged slope, then close-ups of anything fallen in the yard, then every wet ceiling, wall and attic spot inside. Keep the time stamp on, take a few wide shots before close ones, and do not throw out torn shingles or branches until a roofer has seen them.
Think of three zones: outside from the ground, the attic, and the rooms below. Outside, shoot each elevation of the house, because a wide view proves which slope took the damage. In the attic, a flashlight on the underside of the deck shows damp wood and stained insulation. In the rooms, shoot every stain with something small in frame for scale. Do all of it from the ground and from inside; nothing in a damage record requires you to stand on the roof.
A roofer wants to know where water is getting in. An insurer wants a dated record of the condition before repairs. Whether a claim is approved is the insurer's decision and this site promises no outcome, but good pictures make both conversations shorter.
| Where | What to capture | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Each side of the house, from the yard | Wide shot of the whole roof, then the damaged slope | Shows which slope and which corner took the damage |
| Ground below the damage | Fallen shingles, metal edging, branches, gutter sections | Often the only evidence once the debris is cleared |
| Chimney, vents, dormers | Close-ups of caps, flashing and pipe boots from the ground or a window | These parts stick up and are the first to shift in wind |
| Attic | Underside of the deck, insulation, any daylight or stains | Shows whether water has already reached the framing |
| Rooms below | Ceilings, wall tops, floors and damaged belongings | Shows the interior effect and where to put a bucket |
What does emergency tarping do, and what slows it down?
A tarp covers the opening and sheds rain until a proper repair can be made. It is a temporary measure, not a fix. A local roofer applies one when a crew is free, and travel to islands, narrow streets and bridge conditions can stretch the wait for homes around the bay.
A roofer who tarps a storm opening is buying time. The covering goes over the damaged area and is fastened to sound parts of the roof so rain runs over it, not through it. It does nothing about the cause, so a repair follows. Our emergency roof tarping page explains the visit, and storm and wind damage repair covers the repair.
Access is part of the story around Narragansett Bay. Jamestown sits entirely on Conanicut Island, reached by the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge to the east and the Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge to the west, so a crew's route can depend on bridge conditions as well as the roof. Prudence Island, which is part of Portsmouth, is reached by water, which adds logistics to any job there. Dense blocks in Central Falls, North Providence and Fall River can limit where a ladder or lift can stand.
Warwick Roofing connects you with an independent local roofer and cannot promise an arrival time. You can make the first visit more productive by saying exactly what you see and where.
- Tell the roofer the slope, the size of the opening and whether water is coming in now
- Say if there are power lines, a fallen tree or limbs on the roof
- Mention any island, bridge or one-way street that affects access
- Keep everyone out from under a sagging ceiling until it is checked
Who handles what after a storm: the roofer, the insurer and the town?
The roofer deals with the roof: tarp, repair or replacement. Your insurer decides whether and how a claim is paid, and this site cannot promise an outcome. Surge and rising water are ground-up damage, not roof damage, so a flooded floor and a wind-stripped roof are two separate problems with different people.
The 2010 Pawtuxet River flooding is a useful example of the split. The river crested at 15.2 feet on March 15 and 16 and at 20.8 feet on March 31, in what was described as the worst flooding in over 200 years there, and it swamped Warwick Mall and closed roads in West Warwick and Cranston. That was water rising from the ground. It is a different kind of damage from a roof losing shingles to wind, and the people you call first for it are not the same.
For the roof, a roofer can give you a written scope and, when needed, a tarp. For the claim, your insurer decides what is covered; hand over your photographs, receipts for temporary work and the roofer's written description. A full re-roof in Warwick goes through the City of Warwick Building Department, so ask who is pulling the permit; our permit guide walks through it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I go up on the roof to see how bad the storm damage is?
No. A wet or damaged roof is slippery and may not hold your weight in the way you expect, and binoculars from the yard show most of what matters. Photograph from the ground, note anything missing or hanging, and let a roofer climb up when one is free to come out.
Is a tarp enough, or does the roof still need to be repaired?
A tarp is only a stopgap. It keeps rain out of an opening until someone can repair or replace the damaged section. Plan on a proper repair afterward, and ask the roofer to say in writing what the tarp covers and what remains to be done.
Does the insurer need to see the damage before the roofer starts?
That depends on your policy and your insurer, and this site cannot say what yours requires. Ask early. Take photographs first, keep torn pieces until told otherwise, and mention to the roofer that a claim may be involved so the work is described in a way that is easy to document.
Do bay-side homes in Warren, Barrington and Jamestown need a different kind of roof?
Not necessarily a different roof, but it is fair to ask about fasteners, flashing metals and how the edges are secured, because open wind and salt air work harder on those parts. A roofer who works near the water will know which materials they use and why.
Is storm surge covered by the same repair as wind damage to the roof?
No. Surge and flooding come up from the ground and affect floors, basements and foundations, while wind damages the roof from above. They are different problems for different trades, and a roofer will address the roof only. Your insurer can explain how each is treated in your policy.
Sources
This guide is general information for Kent County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.