By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer

DAYTON — The damaging thunderstorm that produced a weak tornado and hail up to three inches in diameter Wednesday night in the Dayton area comes on the heels of two separate April storm events that caused more than $123 million in statewide insured losses, according to the Ohio Insurance Institute.

Preliminary statewide losses from high winds, tornadoes, rain and hail from April 22 to 28 caused at least $80 million in insured losses with 15,500 claims filed in Ohio, the institute said.

High winds, tornadoes and hail from April 19 to 20 caused at least $43 million in insured losses with more than 8,100 claims reported. Ohio had 12 confirmed tornadoes during that event.

Loss estimates and claims counts from Wednesday’s storm are not yet available, said Mitch Wilson, an institute spokesman.

In the coming days, Ohio’s largest insurer State Farm insurance will mobilize a claims vehicle to Dayton. “This is a major vehicle that we bring into catastrophe areas,” said Blake Zitko, State Farm spokesman. “We are hoping to help people recover a little bit sooner with this effort.” Dates and locations are to be announced.

Storm-related damages from wind and hail are typically covered under standard homeowners, renters or automobile insurance policies, according to the institute.

“Under the auto insurance policy those types of claims are covered when you have the ‘other than collision’ portion on your policy, or what’s known as comprehensive coverage,” Wilson said.

People should closely inspect their property and vehicles for storm-related damage. Photograph any damage or losses, especially if heavy, widespread damage has occurred.

“Whether it is their car or their home they will want to get an idea of the damage and then report that claim as quickly as possible to their insurance agent,” said Jeff Ormond, regional spokesman for Allstate Insurance.

Some insurance companies have a time limit for filing hail damage claims, ranging from six months to two years, Wilson said.

Hail damage to a roof may not be apparent until there is a heavy rain. “They may see some leakage coming in, water dripping down through the walls or some water marks on their ceilings in various rooms,” Wilson said.

CENTERVILLE — Lorena and Harold Morgan have seen numerous home repair company trucks cruising Pelbrook Farm Drive looking for work in the wake of the May 25 storm that pummeled the southern Dayton area with hail up to three inches in diameter.

Some of those companies actually might be looking for victims, according to Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck’s office.

“Storm chasers” are often unscrupulous roofers and home repair companies that set up business in areas affected by severe weather, said John North, president and chief executive of the Dayton Better Business Bureau.

“They come and they either do a shoddy job or they do no job at all, and leave people with little to no repairs done, but out a wad of money,” North said.

Several companies have left fliers soliciting repair work at the Morgan’s Centerville home, which suffered roof and gutter damage from the hail storm.

“A lot of them don’t have signs on their trucks,” Lorena Morgan said.

Homeowners should reject offers from any repair companies they didn’t contact themselves, said Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

“We are seeing that solicitation for repairs is almost 100 percent an indication of some scam that’s about to occur,” Scafidi said.

The Dayton Better Business Bureau has received no complaints about roofing scams related to the recent storms, North said.

The bureau has seen an increase since in the number of people checking its website to see if home repair businesses are accredited, as well as a spike in roofing businesses from outside the area seeking accreditation, he said.

Most accredited area roofing companies have waiting lists and are too busy after the storm to solicit work door-to-door, North said.

Enterprise Roofing & Sheet Metal in Dayton has received 10 times its usual volume of calls for residential roofing repairs since the hail storm, said Stefan Neumeister, company president.

“We are anticipating being busy through the end of the year and maybe into next spring,” he said.

A hail-damaged roof usually doesn’t need to be repaired immediately, said Greg Dart, president and owner of A-1 Roofing & Construction in Bellbrook. Dart said to “wait on somebody you know” in order to get the job done properly.

Fly-by-night roofing companies often do poor work and then can be hard to reach when problems arise, Neumeister said.

“Your warranty is good as long as their cell phone number stays the same,” he said. “Once that changes and you can’t get a hold of them, you’re out of luck.”

Storm-related damages from wind and hail are typically covered under standard homeowners and renters insurance policies, according to the Ohio Insurance Institute.

Insured repairs should never involve the transfer of cash at the doorstep, Scafidi said.

“Don’t ever give anybody any money or a check up front without checking the references and validity of the company,” he said.

DAYTON, OHIO, June 9, 2011—Recent hail storms damaged many roofs in the Miami Valley. Residents are scrambling to make repairs, contacting insurance companies and roofers to get the job done. Your Better Business Bureau advises you not to make any quick decisions. Take time to do your homework and select a trustworthy roofing contractor to do the job. Unfortunately, there are many roofers in the industry that don’t have customers’ best interests in mind. For instance, today, your BBB releases a list of Miami Valley roofing contractors that have earned F ratings, the organization’s lowest rating.

John North, BBB president and CEO, says, “The roofing industry has been a problematic industry for your BBB. There are some great roofing contractors that will meet or exceed your expectations. But, the bad guys in this industry make it difficult for the good guys to do business. And, many stormchasers have come to the area to profit from the damage. By doing your homework and selecting your contractor carefully, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and headaches.”

Your Better Business Bureau names 16 area roofing contractors with F ratings. Your BBB assigns letter grades to local businesses ranging from A+ to F. The letter grade system represents your BBB’s degree of confidence businesses are operating in trustworthy manners and will make good faith efforts to resolve customer concerns. Typically, businesses with F ratings have unanswered and/or unresolved complaints or patterns of complaints that reflect failure by the businesses to deal with the causes of customer problems. Your BBB acknowledges it’s not as much about the number of complaints a company has, but how they handle complaints. (The list was accurate as of June 9, 2011.)

Bob’s Roofing, 10 Woodrow Terrace, Dayton

Brown & Brown Roofing, 367 S. Dixie Dr., Vandalia

Central Roofing, 8 Oslo Ct., Brookville

Dixon Construction, 2032 Wilmington Pk., Dayton

Fix All Builders, 2782 Rushland Dr., Kettering

Fleming’s Roofing & Siding Systems, 12652 Manning Rd., Farmersville

Harm Design Construction, 2800 Graf Mill Rd., Bellbrook

Home Improvement Specialists, 8101 Porthaven Dr., Sidney

Innovative Concepts & Design, 2881 Taos Dr., Miamisburg

Phelps Roofing, Siding & Remodeling, 8875 S. Main St., Germantown

Proline Roofing, 82 Stewart Ln., Germantown

RT Brown Roofing, 1935 E. Third St., Dayton

Specialist Roofing, 4150 Back Ln., Franklin

Templeton Roofing and Remodeling, 2322 Gordon Rd., Cedarville

Walling Enterprises, 2773 Terrace View Cir., Dayton

Wiseman Roofing, P.O. Box 144, Waynesville

John North continues, “There are several steps you should take to select a roofer. Ask friends and family who they’ve hired and were happy with. Your insurance company can likely provide a list of roofers it would recommend. (Check your policy to see if you can pick a contractor not on the list.) But, you should take it one step further and check companies out with your BBB. Your BBB’s business reviews can share information to help you select the right roofer. For instance, the reviews share companies’ complaint histories, ratings and whether or not companies are BBB Accredited. I’d recommend going with BBB Accredited roofing contractors. Accredited Businesses must have a B rating or higher and respond to complaints filed against them. They strive to do business the right way and agree to adhere to standards of trust, so they can better differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace.”

When selecting a roofer, your BBB also offers additional advice, such as:

· Request an estimate from two or three companies based on similar specifications.

· Ask the contractors to provide you with a list of references to check.

· Determine whether or not the roofing contractors are insured and bonded.

· Base your final decision on all of the information collected, not just the contractor offering the lowest price. You may get what you pay for as choosing the lowest bid could ensure you get the lowest quality service.

· Discuss payment when selecting a roofer. You should never pay for a roofing job upfront. You can pay a deposit, but the full amount shouldn’t be paid until the job is completed to your satisfaction.

· Ask the contractor to provide a written contract, which details the cost and payment plan, scope of work, project start and completion dates, materials to be used, cancellation policy and warranty information. Review the contract carefully and ask questions about items you don’t understand.

Contact your BBB for a list of BBB Accredited roofing contractors or business reviews on ones you’re considering. Simply, visitwww.bbb.org or call (937) 222-5825 or (800) 776-5301.

About Your BBB Serving Dayton and the Miami Valley

Your BBB, the leader in advancing marketplace trust, is an unbiased nonprofit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards of ethical business behavior. Your BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability Reports^TM and charity BBB Wise Giving Reports^TM, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust, your BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints. The first BBB was founded in 1912. Today, 125 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than four million local and national businesses and charities. Please visit www.bbb.org for more information about your BBB.