Construction
Why a Pre-Hurricane Drone Baseline Protects Your Insurance Claim
A pre-storm baseline flight dates a healthy roof. After a hurricane, that dated set is what proves new damage to your insurer.
After a hurricane, the argument is always the same: was that damage there before the storm, or did the storm cause it? A dated, located set of aerial images taken before the storm is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy, because it ends the argument before it starts.
Not legal advice
This article is informational and educational. It does not constitute legal advice and does not replace consultation with an attorney, a certified remote pilot, or the FAA. Regulations can change — always verify current rules with the official source before acting.
Key takeaways
- A pre-storm baseline dates a healthy roof and property on a specific day.
- After the storm, that dated set is what proves new damage to your insurer.
- Most Florida carriers accept timestamped, located aerial imagery as evidence.
- Capture before season and again before any named storm is forecast.
The claim is won before the storm
Adjuster disputes are rarely about whether damage exists; they are about whether it was caused by this event. If you can show what the roof looked like on a dated flight from before the hurricane, the new damage is obvious instead of debatable. Without that baseline, you are relying on memory and a carrier’s goodwill.
The flight itself is cheap and fast. The value is the date stamped on every frame: proof of condition at a moment in time.
What a good baseline captures
- The whole roof and envelope, not just the pretty angles — every slope, penetration, and edge.
- A known-healthy state, so a later crack or missing shingle is clearly new.
- Located, dated frames, so any shot can be tied to a spot and a day.
A folder of raw photos is a start. The same images inside the Inspection Viewer turn into a record you can scrub against the post-storm set, frame by frame.
Before and after, on one timeline.
We deliver findings in the Inspection Viewer, so you compare any two dates side by side and show exactly what changed.
See the Inspection Viewer
Timing is the whole game
Capture a baseline before storm season and again right before any named storm is forecast for your area. After the storm, plan the follow-up flight for the earliest safe, permitted window — airspace and sites are often restricted right after a major event, and the record needs to be timely to carry weight with an adjuster.
When should the baseline flight happen?
Does my insurer accept drone documentation?
Is post-storm flying even allowed right after a hurricane?
Date your roof before the season.
Request a baseline flight