The National Weather Service Wakefield office records that Hurricane David in 1979 spawned two severe tornadoes in the Hampton Roads area, one in Newport News with more than $2 million in damage and one in Hampton with about half a million dollars in damage.
Key takeaways
- Hurricane David in 1979 spawned two severe tornadoes.
- The Newport News tornado caused more than $2 million in damage, according to the NWS Wakefield record.
- The Hampton tornado caused about half a million dollars in damage.
- A tornado leaves a narrow band of total damage, and roofs on either side can be untouched.
- The FACTS sheet gives the damage in dollars and no roof-by-roof detail, so this guide does not supply one.
What the record says
Two severe tornadoes, one in Newport News and one in Hampton, with damage figures recorded by the National Weather Service.
The record is a hurricane history from the Wakefield office, and it names the two places and the damage in each. It does not describe individual roofs, so a homeowner should not assume a particular street was in either path without checking.
Why a tornado band matters for a roof
Because a tornado's damage is concentrated along a band, and the roof a few metres away can be untouched.
A roofer records which side of a band a roof sits on, the band's direction and its width. That record is what separates tornado damage from the wind of an ordinary storm on the same street.
What a tornado does to a roof
It lifts sections of covering, shifts or pulls decking, bends flashing and can tear ridge and gutter runs away.
The covering is lifted in a band, the decking can shift or be pulled, and the flashing is bent out of line. Those marks are the evidence a roofer reads, and a dated photograph of each is the record a claim needs.
Using the 1979 record today
Check the address against the regional record and the homeowner's own storm date, then inspect the roof for the band's marks.
A roof in Newport News or Hampton is checked on the day for the marks a tornado leaves. The 1979 record is a reference for the area's history, and it does not stand in for the inspection of the roof.
What a claim needs from the record
A dated roof record showing the band, the marks and the open items, with the event named by its date.
The insurer will ask for the event and the roof's damage on the same record. The 1979 record is historic and is not used for a current claim without the homeowner's own dated record of the roof.
The Virginia Bureau of Insurance takes homeowner complaints about claims.
What a 1979 record can and cannot show a homeowner today
It shows that severe tornadoes reached the area and what damage they did, but it does not show what the roof of any house looks like now.
The record is a piece of history for the area. It is useful for knowing the area has seen tornadoes, and it is not a substitute for a roof's own record. A current claim rests on the homeowner's dated inspection of the roof.
- Shows that tornadoes reached the area
- Does not describe a current roof
- A current claim rests on a dated inspection
Looking for the marks a tornado leaves
A tornado band shows as torn covering, displaced decking and bent flashing in a narrow line, and the roofer records its width and direction.
On a roof in the path of a tornado, the roofer looks for the band: torn covering along a line, decking shifted under it, flashing bent in the same direction. The band's width and direction are the record's most useful facts, because they show the path the wind took across the house.
- Torn covering in a narrow line
- Decking shifted under the band
- The band's width and direction recorded
Why the band matters for the claim
Because the claim turns on whether the damage is in the band the storm made. A roof outside the band has a different story to tell.
An insurer will ask whether the damage sits in a band consistent with the event. A roofer's record of the band, with its direction and width, answers that question. Damage outside the band is recorded separately as wear or as another cause.
- Damage in a band consistent with the event
- Damage outside the band recorded separately
- The record answers the insurer's question
Where to find the official record
The National Weather Service Wakefield office holds the historical record for the Hampton Roads area.
Ask the Wakefield office for the record of the storm, and keep the reply with the roof file. An official record with the date and the place is the most reliable starting point for a claim that cites a historic event.
- The Wakefield office holds the record
- Keep the reply with the roof file
- An official record is the starting point
How the 1979 record fits the area's history
The 1979 tornadoes are part of a longer record of severe wind in the Hampton Roads area, and they are a reason to inspect after a named storm.
The record of the 1979 tornadoes shows that severe wind of this kind has reached the area before. It is a reason for a roof to be inspected after any named storm, and it is a reference for the homeowner who wants to know the area's history. It is not a forecast, and it gives no frequency.
- Severe wind has reached the area before
- A reason to inspect after a named storm
- Not a forecast and gives no frequency
Checking the address on a historic path
Check the address against the damage figures and the places named, and ask the roofer to confirm the path with the record for the date.
The record names two cities and their damage figures, and it does not name streets. A homeowner who wants to know whether a particular address was on the path should check with the roofer and with the official record for the date. The roofer can compare the band of damage on the roof with the record.
- Address checked against named places
- Roofer compares the band with the record
- Official record for the date used
What the roofer records on a tornado path
The band's direction and width, the marks on the covering and decking, the flashing bent in the band, and any damage outside it.
A roofer's record for a tornado path notes the band's direction and width, the covering torn in it, the decking shifted under it and the flashing bent in the same direction. Damage outside the band is recorded separately. Each finding carries its position and a photograph.
- Band direction and width
- Covering, decking and flashing in the band
- Damage outside the band recorded separately
Keeping a tornado record for the next event
Keep the roof record with its dates, so the next storm can be compared with the marks this one left.
A roof that has been through a tornado path should carry its record forward. Keep the band, the repairs and the open items with dates in the roof file. The next storm is then compared against the marks already on the record, and the new damage is easier to read.
- The band and repairs kept with dates
- Open items carried forward
- The next event compared with the record
A short history of the wind in the area
Hurricane David's tornadoes of 1979 are one entry in a longer history of wind in Hampton Roads, which includes Isabel in 2003 and the coastal events of 2018 and 2022.
Read together, the records show a pattern of wind and water events across the area over more than four decades. The FACTS sheet records each of them separately, with its own source. A homeowner who reads the whole history sees that roofs here are exposed to more than one kind of event, and that each needs its own record.
- Wind and water events across decades
- Each event recorded with its own source
- Roofs exposed to more than one kind
What a roofer should bring to a tornado check
A moisture meter, a ladder, photographs of the band from the ground and a record form for the band's width and direction.
On a tornado check the roofer brings a moisture meter for the decking, a ladder with fall protection, a camera for the band and a form to record its width and direction. The equipment is the same for a 1979 event or a new one, and the record is the same too.
- Moisture meter for the decking
- Ladder with fall protection
- A form for the band's width and direction
Where a tornado record goes after the visit
The roofer's written record goes to the homeowner and, if a claim is made, to the insurer, with the official record for the date attached.
A tornado record is most useful when it travels with the official record for the date. The roofer's findings, the photographs and the official reference are kept together, and sent to the insurer if a claim is made.
- Roofer's findings and photographs together
- The official record for the date attached
- Sent to the insurer if a claim is made
What a homeowner should not conclude from the record
That a tornado of 1979 means a roof is damaged today, or that its absence means a roof is sound.
The 1979 record is history. It does not tell a homeowner whether a roof now has damage from that event, and it does not rule damage out. Each roof is inspected on its own, and the inspection's record is the only current evidence of its condition.
- The record is history, not a verdict
- No damage is implied or ruled out
- Each roof inspected on its own
Keeping the history in the file
Keep a copy of the official record with the roof file, and note the date and place of each event named in it.
Copy the official record for any event that touches the roof's area and keep it with the roof file. Note the date, the place and the damage figure for each event, so a later reader can tell the historic event from the current one.
- Copy the official record for the area
- Note date, place and damage for each event
- Keep it with the roof file
Reading the record in order
Read the record from the earliest event to the latest, so the history of the roof is clear in sequence.
Put each event in date order, with the damage recorded for it and the repairs made afterwards. A roof read in that order shows the cumulative effect of each storm, which a single record cannot. The homeowner keeps the sequence up to date after every named storm.
- Events in date order
- Damage and repairs for each
- Updated after every named storm
Frequently asked questions
Did the 1979 tornado hit my street?
The record names the two cities and gives damage figures, not streets. Check the address and the storm date with the roofer.
Are tornadoes common here?
The FACTS sheet records the 1979 pair as the reference. It gives no frequency, so this guide does not state one.
How do I tell tornado damage from hurricane damage?
By the pattern: a tornado leaves a narrow band, and a hurricane's wind marks more of the roof broadly.
Who takes a complaint about a claim?
The insurer first, then the Virginia Bureau of Insurance.
Sources
This guide is general information for Newport News (independent city) homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.