Storm-Damaged Windows in the New Orleans Metro: A Decision Guide

Written by Big Easy Windows

What Should You Do First With Storm Damaged Windows in New Orleans?

Quick Answer: If a storm has left you with storm damaged windows in New Orleans or anywhere else in the metro, work in this order. Keep people away from the broken glass. Photograph everything inside and out. Cover the opening to keep rain out, then report the loss to your insurance company. Hold off on the permanent repair until the adjuster has looked at the damage and you know which permit office covers your address. That order protects the house and the claim at the same time.

September is when this guide earns its keep. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic season on September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October, and the season doesn’t close until November 30. Late storms count here too. The Hurricane Center’s report on Hurricane Zeta notes that its eye moved directly over New Orleans a couple of hours after it made landfall on October 28, 2020.

This guide is general information. Your policy and your local permit office have the final word.

Is Broken Window Glass Safe to Handle?

Treat every broken pane as a hazard until you know what kind of glass it is, because the type decides how it fails. Cardinal, a major glass manufacturer, describes the difference plainly in its safety glass literature:

• Glass that shatters. Ordinary annealed glass breaks into large fragments that are a real cutting risk. Tempered glass is built to break into small, blunt pieces instead, but those pieces still scatter well past the window.
• Glass that holds together. Laminated glass bonds layers of glass to a clear interlayer, so a cracked pane tends to stay in the frame.

Put on heavy work gloves and closed shoes before you start. Keep kids and pets out of the room until the floor has been vacuumed. If you have impact-rated windows, don’t pry a cracked laminated pane out of its sash. It’s still keeping wind and rain outside. The City of New Orleans’ historic district window guidelines make the same point about hurricane-resistant units: they can still break in a storm, and what they offer is a chance of less damage inside the house.

How Do You Document Window Damage Before Cleanup?

Photos come before the broom. The Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) advises policyholders to photograph or video storm damage inside and out before removing debris or making temporary repairs. Its post-disaster guide also asks you to keep a list of any temporary work and save the receipts for materials.

A good set of window photos includes:

• A wide shot of each elevation, so it’s obvious which window you’re looking at.
• Close-ups of the broken glass and the frame corners.
• Any water staining on the wall or floor below the opening.

Report the loss to your agent or company as soon as you can. Louisiana law, including La. R.S. 22:1892, sets deadlines for an insurer to start adjusting a property claim and to pay what it owes once you’ve given satisfactory proof of loss. The Louisiana Department of Insurance can tell you the current timelines.

What Works as a Temporary Cover Until Repairs?

Once the damage is on camera, stop the water. LDI’s guidance names steps such as boarding up windows and putting plastic over openings as the kind of temporary repair homeowners can make, with receipts kept for the claim. In South Louisiana the reason is simple. Wind-driven rain keeps coming after the gusts ease, and a soaked sill or wall cavity dries slowly when the air outside is this humid.

A few practical points for a temporary cover:

• Size plywood so it overlaps the opening on every side, and fasten it so it can come off later without tearing out trim you’ll want to keep.
• If you can’t reach the outside safely, tape heavy plastic sheeting over the opening from inside.
• Photograph the cover once it’s up and file the receipt with your claim notes.

Be clear about what a board-up is. Improvised plywood isn’t the same thing as a tested shutter or panel system, a distinction our guide to wind-borne debris rules in Louisiana covers in detail. It buys time until the real repair.

What Should You Check on Windows That Didn’t Break?

Storm damage isn’t always a hole in the glass. After the cover is up, walk the house and check every window. We’d start with these:

• Haze between the panes. A sealed glass unit that fogs up after a storm may have lost its seal.
• Sashes that stick or won’t lock. Flying debris can rack a sash without cracking the glass.
• Water stains below the sill. Staining or peeling paint under a window after heavy rain points to a leak around the frame.

Add anything you find to the same photo record.

Should You Repair or Replace Storm-Damaged Windows?

Once you’re past the emergency, the decision comes down to what failed.

When a Glass Repair Makes Sense

If only the glass broke and the frame and sash are intact, a new pane or sealed glass unit can be a sound fix. That’s the typical window repair job in New Orleans after a storm: a limb or a piece of debris cracks the glass, but the window still operates and locks.

When Replacement Is the Better Call

Replacement tends to make more sense when:

• The frame is bent or has pulled away from the wall.
• The sash is racked and won’t seal against wind-driven rain.
• Water got behind the frame and the sill or framing underneath has gone soft.
• The window was already failing before the storm, with fogged seals or rot showing.

Our post on replacing vs repairing windows goes deeper on where that line sits. If you’re replacing, this is also the moment to decide whether the new units should be impact-rated. Hurricane and storm windows for New Orleans homes keep protection in place without anyone putting panels up, and whether your address calls for impact-rated glass or approved shutters is a question to settle with the permit office before you order.

Louisiana’s State Uniform Construction Code currently adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, in effect since January 1, 2023, and the state council’s published schedule has the 2024 editions taking effect on January 1, 2027. Confirm current requirements before ordering.

Which Permit Office Covers Your Address?

Storm repairs in this metro run through a patchwork of parish and city offices, and the right one depends on the address, not the neighborhood name. Here’s where to start:

• New Orleans: the City of New Orleans handles permits through its One Stop system, and homes in local historic districts can need design review first. Our permit guide for Orleans and Jefferson Parish walks through that process.
• Jefferson Parish: the parish Department of Inspection and Code Enforcement issues building permits in unincorporated areas. Kenner and Gretna run their own permit offices, and other incorporated cities in the parish may too, so confirm which side of a city line your address sits on.
• LaPlace: St. John the Baptist Parish issues permits through the Permit Division of its Planning and Zoning Department.
• Chalmette: St. Bernard Parish handles residential permits through the Safety and Permits Division, part of Community Development.
• The Northshore: St. Tammany Parish’s Department of Permits and Inspections covers unincorporated areas, while Slidell and Mandeville run their own city permit offices.

If a disaster declaration is in effect, check the parish or city website for any announcement about repair permits before assuming the work is exempt. Then get it in writing: whoever does the job should state who pulls the permit.

How Do You Choose Who Fixes the Damage?

After a big storm, doors get knocked on. LDI’s post-disaster guide recommends hiring licensed and insured companies with a written estimate. It also warns against anyone who says your insurance company sent them, since insurers generally don’t recommend a particular company. Its checklist:

• Check the company’s license with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors before you sign.
• Ask for proof of insurance that covers the job from start to finish.
• Get an itemized contract that names who is responsible for permits and gives start and completion dates.
• Don’t pay in full before the work is done. If materials must be bought up front, the guide suggests paying the supplier directly.

For the questions to ask before you sign anything, see how to choose a window installer in New Orleans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cover a broken window before the adjuster visits?

LDI’s guidance is to document the damage first, then make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent further damage and keep your receipts. Save the permanent repair for after the inspection, and follow any specific instructions your insurance company gives you.

Is a cracked impact window a failed window?

Not necessarily. A laminated pane that cracks but stays in the frame may have kept the opening closed during the storm. It still needs replacing.

How long does my insurer have to start on a window damage claim?

Louisiana law sets deadlines for insurers to start adjusting a property claim and to pay it after satisfactory proof of loss, and those deadlines can change. Ask your company which timeline it’s working under, and ask LDI for the current rules.

Do I need a permit to replace a storm-damaged window?

It depends on the office that covers your address and on the scope of the work. Ask that office before work starts, and confirm in writing who is pulling the permit.

Should I replace every window if only a few broke?

Not automatically. Undamaged windows that still seal and operate can stay. If older units were already failing, or you want impact-rated protection for the whole house, get both options priced at once.

Get Storm Damage Assessed Across the Metro

We’ll look at each damaged opening and tell you plainly whether a glass repair is realistic. Where it isn’t, we’ll quote replacement. If your adjuster asks for a written repair estimate, ask us for one during the visit. Our crews work across the metro, with local pages for window repair in Metairie, Kenner, LaPlace, and Slidell.

Start with our window repair services, request an estimate online, or call (504) 384-8165.