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Forensic Engineering • Hurricane Claims What a Forensic Engineer Looks for After a Hurricane 7 min read When our team arrives at a property after a hurricane, we’re not conducting a standard inspection. We’re building a case. Every observation, every measurement, every photograph is part of a forensic investigation designed to answer one critical question: did this damage result from the storm, or was it already there? This is what separates forensic engineering from run-of-the-mill property inspections. A general inspector documents condition. We determine causation. The Systematic Approach Our process always follows the same sequence because the order matters for establishing the timeline and extent of damage. Exterior Survey We start outside, walking the entire perimeter and photographing every elevation. We’re looking for wind damage patterns, water entry points, debris impact marks, and compromised seals. The angle and location of damage tells a story — wind from the southeast creates a particular pattern of missing shingles and exposed underlayment that’s different from wind coming straight from the west. Roof Assessment This is where we take our time. We’re examining shingle tabs, nails, decking, underlayment, and flashing. We check the ridge, the hip lines, the valleys — all the places where wind pressure concentrates and materials are vulnerable. We look for the progression of failure: did water start coming through during the storm itself, or has it been seeping in gradually for months? Interior Water Intrusion Tracing Once we know where water can enter, we trace it inside. Where did it actually travel? Are there water marks inside walls? Is there evidence of saturation or mold growth? We’re establishing whether this is fresh storm damage or chronic water damage from a pre-existing roof leak. Structural Connections We inspect critical connection points — where the roof attaches to the walls, where walls attach to the foundation. These are the failure points that separate minor damage from catastrophic loss. Proper installation and adequate fastening make all the difference. Pre-Existing vs. Storm-Caused Damage This is the hardest part. We’re looking for weathering patterns, material aging, construction quality, and signs of previous repairs. A roof that’s 20 years old will have wear and tear. Our job is determining what portion of the current damage is from that normal aging and what portion is new storm damage. Why This Matters for Your Claim Insurance companies will argue that a significant portion of your damage is pre-existing. In 70% of disputes we see, the disagreement isn’t about whether there’s damage — it’s about when that damage occurred. Without baseline documentation, your claim becomes a he-said-she-said situation where the insurance adjuster’s assumptions carry enormous weight. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: even we sometimes can’t definitively determine causation without before-storm photographs. We can make educated assessments based on weathering patterns and construction practices, but documentation is infinitely stronger than inference. How Homeowners Can Help The single most valuable thing you can do is photograph your property before the storm hits. Not random photos — systematic documentation of your roof, exterior walls, openings, and any existing damage or repairs. Pre-Storm Documentation Tool We built a free pre-storm documentation tool specifically for this. It walks homeowners through photographing their property section by section, creating a timestamped baseline report that’s admissible in claims and litigation. Twenty minutes of work before hurricane season can save you months of fighting with insurance. If a storm does hit, our damage documentation tool helps organize photos and findings section by section. It’s the same systematic approach we use in our forensic investigations, adapted for property owners. When you have this documentation ready before we arrive for the inspection, our investigation is stronger. We can immediately compare what we’re seeing to the baseline. We can quantify new damage with certainty instead of making estimates. The Bottom Line Forensic engineering is detective work. We’re examining the evidence and building a narrative supported by data and professional judgment. But the strongest evidence — the evidence that closes cases and wins disputes — is documentation created before the damage occurred. If you need a licensed forensic engineer to investigate property damage after a hurricane, contact OasisEngineering.com. We’ll be thorough, and we’ll build the strongest possible case with the evidence we have.

The 5.7 Sq. Ft. Myth: Florida Egress Window Requirements Clarified (FBC R310) It’s a panic-inducing scenario common in Florida renovations: The new impact windows have arrived, or perhaps they are already installed, and your contractor or building inspector drops a bombshell: “This bedroom window is too small. It doesn’t meet the 5.7 square foot egress requirement.” Before you panic and order a larger, more expensive custom window, you need to know the actual rules. There is a widespread misconception in the industry that every sleeping room window must meet the 5.7 sq. ft. rule. According to the Florida Building Code (FBC) Section R310, that is often incorrect. If you are dealing with a bedroom on the ground floor, the rules change in your favor. Here is an engineering breakdown of the most misunderstood rule in residential window replacements. The Rule vs. The Exception (FBC R310.2.1) The Florida Building Code dictates that every sleeping room must have at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening (egress window). This ensures occupants can escape, and firefighters with bulky gear can enter, during a fire. The confusion stems from FBC Residential Section R310.2.1, which contains two distinct standards based on the location of the room. The General Rule (Second Story and Above) For bedrooms located on the second floor, third floor, or higher, the Net Clear Opening must be at least 5.7 square feet. Why 5.7? This size accommodates a firefighter entering through the window from a ladder. The Grade-Floor Exception (Ground Floor) If the bedroom is on the “grade-floor” (ground level), the code grants an exception. Because firefighters have easier access from the ground without a ladder, the requirement is lowered. For ground-floor bedrooms, the minimum Net Clear Opening is only 5.0 square feet. That differential of 0.7 sq. ft. (roughly 100 square inches) is massive when dealing with standard window sizes. The “Gotcha”: It’s Not About Frame Size The second biggest mistake homeowners and even some professionals make is confusing the window’s frame dimensions or the glass size (daylight opening) with the Net Clear Opening. The code doesn’t care how big the window unit is; it cares about the actual hole created when you open the window fully. Measuring Horizontal Rollers Impact horizontal roller windows are notorious for failing egress calculations because their heavy-duty frames and interlocks eat up valuable space. When you slide a horizontal roller open, you cannot just measure half the width. You must measure from the edge of the jamb to the center interlock stile that remains in the middle of the window. You lose several inches of “clear width” right there. A Real-World Case Study: The Window That Barely Passed We recently analyzed a project where a contractor flagged a ground-floor horizontal roller window as non-compliant because it didn’t meet the 5.7 sq. ft. standard. The window unit’s frame size was roughly 53″ x 38″. On paper, it looked too small to many installers. However, when we demanded the exact, on-site measurements of the clear opening (the actual open space when slid fully open), the numbers told a different story: We ran the math against the ground-floor requirement: 22.81 x 32.25 = 735.6 sq. inches To convert square inches to square feet, divide by 144: 735.6 / 144 =5.11 sq. ft. The Verdict: Because this window was on the ground floor, the requirement was only 5.0 sq. ft. The window passed by a mere 0.11 sq. ft. (about 15 square inches). If this window had been on the second floor, it would have failed. But by knowing the code exception and measuring precisely, the project was saved from a costly revision. Beyond Egress: Don’t Forget Energy Code While egress is vital for safety, it is only half the battle in Florida compliance. When selecting windows, the U-factor, SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient), and glazing specs are critical for passing energy calculations, but egress is where projects often get red-tagged during final inspection because it involves physical measurements on-site. Ensure your engineering team is looking at both the thermal performance for Florida’s rigorous energy code and the physical dimensions for life safety. Summary Checklist for Florida Egress Before ordering windows for a bedroom renovation, verify these three things simultaneously: Note: You must meet all three. For example, a window that is 20″ wide x 24″ high only equals 3.3 sq. ft., so it would fail, even though it meets the minimum width and height dimensions.