dorothyalert.com / damage

Storm damage photos — what storms leave behind

After the sky clears, DorothyAlert members document storm damage in their own communities — in all 50 states and in other countries where members live. These photos serve a practical purpose — showing neighbors which roads are blocked and which areas were hit — and they're taken with respect for the people whose homes and businesses are in the frame.

How damage photos are taken here

From public streets and public places only. No entering private property, no close-ups of anyone's personal belongings, and no photographing people in distress. If a photo could embarrass or endanger someone, it doesn't get posted. When members can help a neighbor instead of photographing, helping wins.

Damage report gallery

Draft placeholders — at launch, each frame holds a real member photo with its storm date and location, so the page doubles as a local storm-history record.

Photo placeholderDowned tree blocking a street — member photo to go here

Tree down across the roadThe most common storm report anywhere in the U.S.: a big tree across a neighborhood street, wires involved, road closed until crews clear it.

Alt text at launch: “Large tree fallen across a residential street after a severe thunderstorm in the United States”

Photo placeholderFlooded road, closed — member photo to go here

Flooded road closureFlash flooding closes low roads fast in communities everywhere. The group's rule is absolute: never drive through flooded roads — turn around.

Alt text at launch: “Flooded road with a closed barrier after heavy rain in the United States”

Photo placeholderWind damage to a roof — member photo to go here

Roof & siding wind damageStraight-line winds peel shingles and siding more often than tornadoes do here — photographed from the street, wide enough to show the pattern, never the family's life inside.

Alt text at launch: “House with shingles and siding torn off by high winds, photographed from the street after a storm”

Photo placeholderThe morning after: cleanup — member photo to go here

The morning afterChainsaws, tarps, and neighbors in each other's yards. The cleanup photos matter as much as the damage ones — they're the part of the story worth copying.

Alt text at launch: “Neighbors clearing fallen branches from a yard the morning after a storm in the United States”

Why document damage at all?

Roads & safety

A photo of a blocked road or downed line, posted fast, routes neighbors around danger before official maps update.

A local record

Dated, located damage photos build a street-level history of which neighborhoods flood, which corridors take the wind, and which coasts and plains see the worst of it — useful when the next storm comes, wherever it hits.

Storm science, citizen edition

Damage patterns are how the National Weather Service rates tornadoes after the fact. Clear photos with locations genuinely help that work.

Reporting damage after a storm?

Post it in the group with the location and time — from a safe, public spot. In an emergency, always call emergency services first, not Facebook.

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