After the Hail: A Central Texas Storm Debris Cleanup Checklist

Central Texas sits squarely in one of the most hail-prone stretches of the country. Spring supercells roll through McLennan County most years, and the aftermath looks the same across Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson, and China Spring: shredded shingles in the yard, a fence section flat on the ground, limbs down, and a driveway full of things that used to be attached to the house.

The instinct is to start dragging debris to the curb immediately. Resist it for about an hour. The order you do this in matters, especially if insurance is involved.

Step 1: Document Before You Touch Anything

Photograph everything before a single piece of debris moves. Wide shots of each elevation of the house, then close-ups of specific damage — bruised or missing shingles, dented gutters and flashing, cracked siding, broken windows, damaged fencing, and any interior water staining. Get the date stamp on. Adjusters work from evidence, and debris you have already hauled off is evidence you no longer have.

If you have a drone or a neighbor with one, roof photos from above are worth more than anything you can shoot from the ground. Do not climb onto a storm-damaged roof to get them.

Step 2: Make It Safe, Not Pretty

• Treat every downed line as live and call the utility, not a neighbor with a chainsaw
• Stay out of standing water near any electrical service or panel
• Watch for nails — a hail storm scatters roofing nails across a lawn, and they find tires and bare feet
• Tarp active roof leaks and cover broken windows, but leave structural work to a contractor
• Wear gloves, boots, and eye protection before you pick up a single board

Step 3: Separate Debris Into Piles That Match Their Destination

This is the step that saves the most money and time. Storm debris is not one thing, and different streams go to different places.

• Vegetative debris — limbs, brush, leaves, and trunk sections
• Construction and demolition debris — shingles, fencing, decking, siding, drywall
• Household goods — water-damaged furniture, carpet, mattresses, boxes
• Appliances and metal — often recoverable separately
• Hazardous items — paint, fuel cans, batteries, propane tanks, which never go in a dumpster

Keeping vegetative debris separate from construction debris is worth doing even when both are going in a container, because clean loads are easier and cheaper to dispose of than mixed ones.

Step 4: Get the Container Timing Right

After a widespread hail event, demand for both roofers and roll-offs spikes across the whole metro at once. Book early. The homeowners who wait until the roofing crew is scheduled are the ones calling every hauler in the county on the same Tuesday morning.

For sizing: light storm debris and yard cleanup usually fits a 15 yard. A large downed tree, multiple big limbs, or a tear-off plus fencing plus yard debris is a 20 yard. If the roof is coming off in the same window, plan for the shingles separately — a single-layer tear-off alone can run 2,000 to 4,000 pounds.

Step 5: Coordinate With the Roofer, Not Around Them

If a roofing crew is doing the tear-off, tell us when they start and we will have the container placed and oriented so they can toss from the roofline instead of carrying debris across your yard. That single conversation routinely saves a crew half a day, and a half day of crew time is real money on your invoice.

Step 6: Know What Your City Will and Won't Take

After major storms, cities in the Waco area sometimes run bulk brush collection with specific rules — separated piles, size limits, placement away from meters and hydrants, and a limited window. That can handle vegetative debris. It rarely covers construction debris, fencing, or household contents, which is the gap a dumpster fills. Check your city's solid waste page for current post-storm guidance before you assume the curb is an option.

A Realistic Week-One Timeline

1. Day 1: photograph everything, tarp active leaks, file the insurance claim
2. Day 1 to 2: book the roofer and the dumpster before the rush
3. Day 2 to 3: separate debris into streams and stage it near where the container will sit
4. Day 3 to 5: tear-off and structural repairs, loading as the crew works
5. Day 5 to 7: yard sweep with a magnet for nails, final load, call for pickup

We Handle the Debris Half

EZ Junk Haul is not a roofing company and will not try to sell you a roof. What we do is get a driveway-safe container to your house fast, place it where the crew can actually use it, and haul it when you are done — across Waco, Bellmead, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson, China Spring, Lorena, McGregor, Temple, and Belton. Call (254) 723-6146.