Damaging Hail Hits Owasso, Collinsville, Skiatook, Sperry, and Avant — What Homeowners Need to Do Right Now

This evening, a destructive severe storm tore through northern Tulsa County and Osage County, producing large hail and damaging winds across Owasso, Collinsville, Avant, Skiatook, and Sperry. Reports from the area describe hail covering the ground, near-zero visibility during the storm, and significant damage to roofs, siding, vehicles, and property.

If you live in or near any of these communities, the decisions you make in the next few days will directly affect whether your insurance company pays you fairly — or whether they use the damage as an opportunity to deny, delay, or underpay your claim.

Here is what we recommend you do right now.

Document Everything Before You Clean Up

Photograph and video all damage — roofing, siding, windows, gutters, vehicles, landscaping, fencing, outbuildings. Use your phone. Walk the entire exterior. Get close-ups and wide shots. Photograph from multiple angles.

Do not remove hail evidence from your yard or roof until you have thoroughly documented it. Hailstones on the ground prove size and severity. Take photos with a ruler, coin, or common object for scale.

Document interior damage — leaks, water stains, ceiling damage, broken windows. Even small leaks can indicate roof penetration that will become a bigger problem.

Take timestamped photos — your phone does this automatically. The date and time on the photos establish that damage occurred during today’s storm, not from “pre-existing conditions” or “wear and tear” — two phrases insurance companies love to use to deny claims.

File Your Claim — But Do Not Accept the First Offer

Call your insurance company and report the damage promptly. But here is the critical part: do not accept the first settlement offer without getting your own contractor’s estimate. Insurance companies routinely send their own adjusters or third-party vendors who are financially incentivized to minimize what they find. Your contractor works for you. Their adjuster works for them.

The gap between your contractor’s estimate and your insurer’s offer is often the single most important number in your claim. If that gap is significant, it may be a sign that your claim is being improperly handled.

Get Your Own Contractor’s Assessment

As soon as possible, have a licensed roofing contractor or general contractor inspect your property and provide a written estimate. This gives you an independent assessment of the actual damage — one that isn’t influenced by your insurer’s financial interest in paying as little as possible.

Keep all estimates, invoices, and correspondence. If your claim turns into a dispute, documentation is everything.

Keep a journal of every communication with your insurance company. Write down the date, time, who you spoke with, what was said, and any commitments they made. Save every email, letter, and text message. If your adjuster tells you something on the phone, follow up with an email confirming what was discussed. Insurance companies keep detailed internal records of your claim — you should too. If your claim is later denied or underpaid, this journal can be critical evidence.

Know Your Rights Under Oklahoma Law

Oklahoma has strong protections for policyholders. When your insurance company collects your premium, they make a legal promise to investigate your claim fully, fairly, and promptly — and to pay what is covered. When they deliberately fail to do that, it is called bad faith, and it is a recognized cause of action under Oklahoma common law.

A successful bad faith case in Oklahoma can recover the full value of your denied claim, compensatory damages, emotional distress, attorney’s fees, and punitive damages. You can learn more about Oklahoma bad faith law on our insurance bad faith page.

A Warning About State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive

We fight insurance companies every day. And we see patterns. If you are insured by any of the following carriers, be especially cautious with your claim.

State Farm. Oklahoma’s Attorney General has alleged that State Farm ran a secret internal program — the “Hail Focus Initiative” — designed to deny and underpay valid hail claims across the state. The AG’s December 2025 filing alleges the program trained adjusters to reclassify legitimate storm damage as “cosmetic” or “wear and tear,” required management approval before authorizing roof replacements, and set corporate savings targets that drove claim outcomes rather than actual damage. If State Farm denies your claim from today’s storm or offers a fraction of your contractor’s estimate, this may be the Hail Focus Initiative at work. Read more about the State Farm Hail Focus Initiative on our website.

Allstate, Encompass, and National General. Court filings and U.S. Senate testimony allege that Allstate uses a systematic, company-wide scheme to underpay storm damage claims. Allstate’s own Chief Claims Officer testified before the Senate that Allstate reduces third-party adjuster estimates 27% of the time and increases them only 9% of the time. The company has been accused of using third-party “picture takers” instead of staff adjusters and overriding their own vendors when those vendors confirm the homeowner’s damage. If you are insured by Allstate, Encompass, National General, Esurance, or SafeAuto, these are all Allstate companies and subject to the same corporate claims handling systems. Read more about Allstate’s alleged bad faith practices on our website.

Progressive. Progressive has faced scrutiny across multiple states for claims handling practices that prioritize speed and cost savings over fair policyholder treatment. Common issues we see with Progressive claims include lowball initial offers that don’t reflect actual repair costs, pressure to accept quick settlements before the full scope of damage is known, and the use of preferred vendors whose estimates consistently come in below market rates. If Progressive is handling your hail claim from today’s storm, get your own contractor’s estimate before accepting anything.

If Something Feels Wrong, Call a Lawyer Before You Sign

If your insurer denies your claim, calls your damage “cosmetic,” offers a settlement that is a fraction of your contractor’s estimate, or drags the process out for months — do not sign a release or accept a settlement without talking to a lawyer first.

Once you sign, your options are severely limited. Before you sign, they are wide open.

Communities Affected by Today’s Storm

If you live in or near any of the following areas and experienced hail or wind damage today, you may have a claim — and you may need an attorney if that claim is denied or underpaid:

Owasso, Collinsville, Skiatook, Sperry, Avant, Catoosa, Claremore, Turley, Ramona, Oologah, Vera, and surrounding areas throughout Tulsa County, Rogers County, Washington County, and Osage County.

Hamilton Murphy Law serves clients throughout Oklahoma. No matter where the storm hit, if your insurance company is not treating you fairly, we can help.

Talk to a Tulsa Insurance Attorney — Free Consultation

If your insurance company has denied, delayed, or underpaid your storm damage claim, the attorneys at Hamilton Murphy Law can help. We represent Oklahoma policyholders in insurance bad faith and personal injury cases, and we offer free consultations to evaluate your situation.

Contact Hamilton Murphy Law today to schedule your free consultation. Call our Tulsa office at (918) 973-5373 or reach out through our website at hamiltonmurphylaw.com.