Hurricane Isabel, in September 2003, brought hurricane-force gusts across Hampton Roads. A regional retrospective records signs torn off buildings, hundreds of trees down and power out for more than a week. A trade report records three unfinished condominium buildings in Hampton losing about half their shingles, and one finished building losing its chimney.
Key takeaways
- Hurricane-force gusts across Hampton Roads tore signs from buildings and brought down hundreds of trees.
- Power was out across much of Virginia for more than a week, according to the regional retrospective.
- Three condominium buildings at Pine Cone Harbor in Hampton, not yet re-roofed, lost about half their shingles.
- One finished building in Hampton lost its chimney.
- The Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth flooded and stayed closed for weeks.
What the storm did
Hurricane-force gusts across the metro tore signs from buildings, brought down hundreds of trees and left millions across Virginia without power for more than a week.
The FACTS sheet draws on a regional retrospective published in 2023, twenty years after the storm. It describes the scale of the wind and the effect on power and trees, and it records the Midtown Tunnel closure as well.
The roof lessons are in the scale and the sequence: wind first, then water through the openings it made, and then the time it took for power and access to return.
The Pine Cone Harbor record
Three condominium buildings in Hampton that had not yet been re-roofed lost about half their shingles. The record is a roofing trade report from 2003.
A building without a new covering has no margin against wind, and the shingles lost were the ones the wind could reach. The record's lesson for a roof today is the same: the edges and the exposed slopes take the first loss, and an open roof is covered before the rain.
The chimney in Hampton
One finished building lost its chimney. A chimney is checked in every storm inspection in the area, from the cap down to the flashing.
A chimney that loses its top or its flashing lets wind and water into the joint it sits in. The record shows the chimney as a point of failure, and the roofer checks it from the attic and the roof.
What the Isabel record means for a claim
It shows the event and its scale, and a claim still depends on the policy and the damage on the roof.
The regional record establishes that a storm of this kind reached the area. It does not establish that any particular roof was damaged, and it does not decide a claim. The homeowner's dated record of the roof and the insurer's decision do that.
The Virginia Bureau of Insurance takes homeowner complaints about claims.
Using the record for a roof in the area today
Match the address to the pattern: the edges, the chimney and the exposed slopes first, then the attic.
A roof in Newport News, Hampton or the Peninsula is checked against the Isabel pattern on the day, with the photographs and the attic check. A roof that shows no such pattern is recorded as not affected by that event, which is also useful to know.
What the sources do and do not say about the wind
The sources describe hurricane-force gusts and their effects on signs, trees and power, but they do not give a single wind speed for the city, so this guide does not supply one.
A homeowner who wants a wind figure for a particular address should look for a record for that place and date, rather than rely on a general figure. The FACTS sheet gives the effects and the scale, not a speed, and this guide keeps to what the sources support.
- Effects and scale are recorded
- No single speed figure is given for the city
- Look for an address record if one is needed
Water after the wind
Isabel's wind came first, and the water that followed came through the openings the wind had made, which is why the first leak after a hurricane often appears days later.
The record for the Midtown Tunnel shows the flood as a separate effect from the wind. For a roof, the same order holds: wind opens the covering and the joints, and rain then reaches the decking through those openings. A roofer checks the decking and the attic for the water that followed, not only the covering that the wind took.
- Wind opens the covering and joints
- Rain reaches the decking through the openings
- The attic checked for the later water
What a homeowner can use from the record today
The pattern of damage: the edges, the chimney, the exposed slopes and the decking under any torn covering.
A roof in the area is checked for the same pattern: the edges and ridge first, the chimney and its flashing next, and the decking under any torn section. A roof that shows none of it is recorded as not showing that pattern, which is also useful to know.
- Edges and ridge first
- Chimney and flashing next
- Decking under any torn section
What to avoid in a claim that cites the storm
Do not attribute every mark to the storm, and do not omit the age of the roof from the record.
A claim that calls every mark storm damage is harder to accept than one that separates storm marks from wear. Record the age of the roof where it is known, and say which marks are old, so the storm claim is credible.
- Separate storm marks from wear
- Record the age where known
- Be accurate about what is old
How a roofer reads the Pine Cone Harbor pattern
The roofer looks for the pattern the trade report describes: covering lost on the buildings not yet re-roofed, and the exposed edges where the wind began the loss.
The 2003 trade report describes three buildings that had not been re-roofed and lost about half their shingles. A roofer reading a roof today looks for the same logic: where the covering is worst, the wind has reached first, and an unfinished or worn covering has the least margin. The record notes each slope with its loss and its position.
- Covering loss on the most exposed slopes
- Unfinished or worn coverings checked first
- Each slope noted with its loss
Chimney damage and its marks
A chimney that loses its top or its flashing lets wind and water into the joint it sits in, and the marks show on the chimney cap, the flashing and the attic.
The finished building in Hampton that lost its chimney is the reason a chimney is checked in every storm inspection in the area. A roofer checks the cap, the counterflashing and the attic beneath the chimney, and records any movement, cracking or damp.
- The cap, counterflashing and attic checked
- Movement, cracking or damp recorded
- Each finding photographed with its position
The tunnel and the wider effects
The Midtown Tunnel between Norfolk and Portsmouth flooded and was closed for weeks, which shows that a storm's effects reach well beyond the roofs.
A storm of this kind affects the roads, the power and the water. A homeowner who is cut off after a storm should keep the roof record as a separate item from the other effects, so the roof is judged on its own evidence and not on the wider disruption.
- Effects beyond the roofs are real
- The roof record kept separate
- Judged on its own evidence
Using the record to ask better questions
The record gives a homeowner the right questions to ask a roofer: which slopes faced the storm, which joints were reached and whether the chimney and decking were checked.
A homeowner who knows the Isabel pattern can ask whether the storm side was checked, whether the chimney and its flashing were examined, and whether the decking under any torn section was tested. Those questions move the inspection from a general look to a targeted one, and the answers are written into the record.
- Storm side checked
- Chimney and flashing examined
- Decking under torn sections tested
Keeping the quote and the record together
The written quote and the written record are kept as one file, dated and in order, so the cost and the condition can be read together later.
A homeowner who keeps the quote with the storm record can see what was spent on which part of the roof and why. The two documents answer different questions, and together they show the whole job. Store them in one folder, with the date of each document written on its first page.
- The quote and the record kept in one folder
- Each document dated on its first page
- Read together to show the whole job
Frequently asked questions
Did Isabel damage every roof in the area?
No. The sources describe the scale of the storm and specific damage at Pine Cone Harbor and one chimney. Each roof is checked on its own.
Is the Midtown Tunnel closure a roof issue?
No, but it shows how long the storm's effects lasted. The roof record is separate.
What was the wind speed?
The FACTS sheet records hurricane-force gusts, and it does not give a single speed figure for the city.
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.