It was early afternoon when the dark clouds rolled in. The wind whipped heavy sheets of rain until it was pelting the house sideways. From indoors, all I could see was gray; water was spraying from under the front door and through the tiniest window gaps even though everything was shut as tightly as possible.

When the skies finally cleared, about 30 minutes later, our world looked a lot different. Tall trees that had previously seemed immovable were blown over onto our fences. The roof of our house and our barn were a mess. Shutters on the front of the house hung crookedly, and our property was littered with bits of trees and trash. A small outbuilding had been picked up and tossed on top of some farm equipment. Thankfully, no one was injured and all of our animals were safe. However, we then had to decide what to do about our mess.

Our storm happened on a Saturday, but we still tried to call the insurance company. There was no answer at the local office, so we visited the company website where we found an online claims form. We got started on the claims process the same day of the storm. Making a claim was easy. We just needed our policy number and gave a basic summary of what occurred.

The website instructed us to only repair damages that would cause additional problems, but to leave everything as much as possible the way that it was until the adjuster could see it. So, we removed the trees that were on fences to keep the cattle from escaping. If the roof had been leaking, we would have made temporary repairs. Thankfully, this was not the case.

First thing Monday we called our local insurance agent to make sure that everything went through on the website. They asked for the claims number that we'd received from the website and told us that we should be hearing from an adjuster later in the day.

Later that morning the adjuster called and scheduled an appointment. We walked the property before he got here to make sure that we didn't overlook anything that was damaged. We especially checked on loose items like outdoor furniture, kids' toys, and farm supplies that could have been blown away in the high winds.

When the adjuster arrived, we took him around the property. He noted the damage, and told us that he was going to send over a roofer to get the estimated damage report on the roof damage. The adjuster gave us the all-clear for cleaning up the property.

Later that day the roofer came by. When he came down the ladder, he told us that due to hail and wind damage the entire roof should be replaced. He sent his report to the insurance company detailing the approximate cost of the roof replacement.

We corresponded with the insurance adjuster largely by e-mail after this point. He sent us a form on which we could list smaller pieces of personal property that he didn't include in his original estimate. This included things like my kids' trampoline and other minor losses. We had to search online for prices for these things, so we'd know how much it would cost to replace them. We completed and faxed the paperwork within just a couple of days.

After about a week, I hadn't heard from the insurance people, so I called them. They said the paperwork was still processing. Ten days after the storm, our insurance adjuster submitted our paperwork for our approval.

We looked over the list of all of the damage he'd included and his estimates. By this time, we were sure that we'd mentioned everything that was damaged in the storm. We signed off on the paperwork and faxed it back. Altogether there was about $10,000 of damage to our home and property.

Two weeks later, about a month after the storm, we had a check in our mailbox for the amount of the damages. However, since we have a mortgage, it was not only made out to my husband and me, but our mortgage lender was also on the check. We had to find a bank branch nearby to get the check endorsed for deposit.

After we deposited the check, it was up to us to hire a roofer. We called several roofers to get estimates and hired one of our choosing. The other work, like repairing and replacing shutters, cutting trees and hauling them off, and replacing items, we could tackle ourselves. If we were able to complete the work for less than the insurance company's estimate, we got to pocket the difference.

One thing I have had to watch for is scammers. It's obvious from the street that our roof was damaged. Several roofing companies have rung my doorbell, offering to make repairs. I know that scammers sometimes operate that way, making repairs with shoddy workmanship and poor-quality materials. They also may quote a particular price and then charge more than their quote after the work is completed. For these reasons, we refused to hire random roofers who stopped by, preferring to work with roofers that were recommended by friends and family.

Another thing that I found useful in this process was to follow up on every transaction with the insurance company. I'd call after faxing or e-mailing paperwork to ensure that the proper person received it. I also asked, "How long should I wait before I call you back?" This let the insurance company know that I was paying attention and was interested in a timely resolution. I also made sure that we completed our paperwork, neatly, fully, and as soon as we could.