Garage Door Storm Damage in Arkansas: Safe First Steps

Spring in Northwest Arkansas can go from mild and green to a severe weather warning in an afternoon, when warm air from the south meets cool air from the north. Hail, straight-line winds and the occasional tornado turn up in that mix, and the garage door is often the first part of a building to show it. If you are standing in the driveway looking at a door that no longer looks right, this is the order we would work through.

Why garage doors take the hit

A garage door is a wide, flat wall made of thin sections held in tracks. Wind pushes on all of it at once, and flying branches and hail do the rest. For many houses it is also the biggest opening on the building. When a door gives way, wind gets inside the structure, and that can load the roof and walls in ways they were not meant to handle. A door that looks like a cosmetic problem can turn out to be a bigger one.

Look first, from a distance

Before you touch anything, look at the door from the driveway. You are checking for damage that makes the door unsafe to move.

• Panels bent, creased or caved inward
• The door sitting crooked, or one side out of its track
• Tracks bent or pulled away from the wall
• Cracked or missing window lites
• Cables hanging loose, or a torsion spring that has snapped
• Gaps along the sides or bottom where the door no longer meets the frame

Four safe first steps

• Do not operate the door. Do not press the button or pull the release cord. A damaged door on a live opener can drop, jam or twist further.
• Secure the area. Keep people and pets out of the garage and away from the door, and move vehicles only if you can do it without going under or near the door.
• Power down. Switch off power to the opener at the breaker or unplug it, as long as reaching the outlet is safe.
• Document the damage. Take clear photos and short videos of the door, tracks, and anything else that was hit before anything is moved.

Hail, debris and the aftermath of a tornado

Hail dents panels and cracks windows, and the damage is easy to underestimate from the outside. Debris strikes can bend a track by a quarter inch, which is enough to make a door bind or jump off its rollers. If a tornado passed close by, check even a door that looks fine. A shifted frame or a track that moved a little can throw off the whole door, and the photo-eye sensors that stop the door from closing on something are often knocked out of alignment.

Lightning and power surges that come with storms can also damage the opener's circuit board while the door itself looks untouched. If the opener is dead after the storm, it is worth having it checked along with the door.

Covering the opening until help arrives

If the door cannot close and more weather is coming, you can cover the opening from the outside with a heavy tarp or plywood fastened to the framing, but only after checking that the area is clear of downed power lines and loose debris. A temporary cover keeps rain and animals out. It is not a fix, and it should not involve forcing the door or climbing on anything unstable.

Calling for help, and what to expect

Integrity Overhead Door handles emergency garage door repair for homes and commercial buildings, including storm damage, off-track doors, broken springs, impact damage and opener failure. Our office is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, and closed Saturday and Sunday. For emergencies we are available 24/7. After-hours calls carry an additional fee, and dispatch depends on a technician being in or around your area, so we cannot promise a specific arrival time.

When you call, tell us what the door looks like, whether it is stuck open or closed, whether a vehicle is trapped inside, and whether anyone is at risk. Photos help a lot. Property managers and business owners should say so up front, since a damaged commercial door can leave a whole building open.

If a storm has left your garage door damaged, call (479) 238-2493 or request a quote through this site.