An open structure invites weather, theft and liability — we secure it in hours, 24/7
Licensed • Insured • IICRC Certified • DuPage County Response Ready
Serving Lombard homeowners, property managers and business owners — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
When a storm tears off shingles, a fire blows out windows, or a break-in kicks in your door, the clock starts immediately — and the cost of inaction compounds by the hour. Understanding what happens to an unsecured Lombard property in the first 24 hours is the clearest argument for calling Allied Emergency Services the moment the damage occurs.
Within hours: Rain, wind and blowing debris pour through broken windows, open roof decking and displaced doors. Even a moderate rainfall event — common throughout DuPage County from spring through fall — can push hundreds of gallons of water into an exposed interior, saturating insulation, drywall, flooring and personal belongings. What starts as a roof breach quickly becomes a water damage claim layered on top of the original storm damage.
Within the first night: Visibly damaged properties are prime targets for theft and vandalism. Opportunistic break-ins spike in neighborhoods with open structures, especially after severe weather events when emergency personnel are stretched thin. Copper pipe, HVAC components, appliances and personal valuables are all at risk once a property shows obvious signs of vulnerability.
Insurance mitigation duty: Most standard homeowner and commercial property policies require the policyholder to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a covered loss. Failing to secure an open structure — or delaying unreasonably — can give your insurer grounds to dispute or reduce your claim. Documenting that you called a licensed contractor immediately is your best protection against that outcome.
Liability exposure: An open or damaged structure is legally considered an "attractive nuisance." If a neighbor, passerby, or even a trespasser enters and is injured on your unsecured property, you may bear liability for their injuries. This is a risk that board-up eliminates.
Animals, squatters and deterioration: Beyond human threats, raccoons, birds, squirrels and other wildlife enter open structures quickly. Once inside, they nest, cause additional damage and create biohazard concerns. Squatters in vacant commercial properties are also a documented problem in the Chicago metro area. Every additional day of exposure compounds the repair scope and the total cost of the claim.
Don't wait. Call Allied Emergency Services now: (800) 792-0212. Our Lombard-area crews are standing by around the clock to secure your property fast — before the damage, the liability and the cost get any worse.
Lombard is a vibrant village of approximately 44,000 residents situated in the heart of DuPage County, bordered by Villa Park to the east, Glen Ellyn to the west, Addison to the north, and Westmont to the south. The community is anchored by Yorktown Center, one of the region's major retail destinations, and is threaded by key commercial corridors including Ogden Avenue (US-34), Roosevelt Road, and St. Charles Road. Lombard's residential fabric includes a mix of post-war ranches, classic Colonials, newer townhome developments, and tree-lined streets in historic neighborhoods near the Lombard Common and the famous Lilac Park — home to more than 200 varieties of lilac and the annual Lilac Festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors each May.
From a storm-risk standpoint, Lombard's location in the northeastern Illinois corridor places it squarely in one of the most active severe weather zones in the continental United States. DuPage County sits along a well-documented severe weather corridor where warm, moist air masses from the Gulf of Mexico collide with cooler, drier air from the northwest, creating the ideal atmospheric conditions for supercell thunderstorms, large hail, and straight-line wind events. The spring months — particularly April through June — and the late-summer period of July through September represent peak storm risk for Lombard property owners. Historical data shows that DuPage County averages multiple significant hail events per year, with some seasons producing softball-sized hail capable of punching through roofing, siding, and windows in a single storm pass.
Lombard's mature tree canopy — a beautiful feature of neighborhoods like the historic district near Parkside and the residential streets around Terrace View Park and Madison Meadow — also creates significant wind-damage risk. Large established oaks, maples and elms that shade the neighborhood's sidewalks can become structural hazards during severe weather. Fallen limbs and toppled trees crash through roofs, puncture siding and shatter windows with frightening speed. North Main Street, Elizabeth Avenue, and the areas surrounding Westmore-Meyers Road and Finley Road have all experienced significant tree-fall damage in recent storm events. The proximity to the DuPage River and its associated green corridors also contributes to localized wind channeling and flash flooding that can complicate property damage scenarios.
Ready to respond in Lombard right now:
(800) 792-0212 — Call NowWe respond to every type of property damage emergency that leaves a Lombard structure open and vulnerable — 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Severe thunderstorms, hail events, tornadoes and straight-line wind events are the most common cause of emergency board-up needs in Lombard. When a storm tears away roof decking, shatters windows or drops a tree through your exterior wall, Allied responds immediately to close every opening before rain, wind and wildlife can compound the damage. Our crews assess the full scope of structural exposure, prioritize the most critical openings, and work efficiently to return your property to a secured and weathertight state — often within a single service visit.
A structure fire doesn't just burn — it blows out windows under pressure, warps door frames, compromises roof sections and leaves an open building behind once the fire department clears the scene. Post-fire board-up must happen fast, because a fire-damaged structure draws looters, vandals and weather within hours of the incident. Allied Emergency Services coordinates directly with fire incident commanders when possible, and we understand the special protocols required for entering and securing structures that have sustained fire and smoke damage, including proper respiratory protection and structural assessment before boarding.
A forced entry — whether it's a kicked-in door, smashed glass or pried-open garage — leaves your property exposed and your security breached. Beyond the immediate need to secure the opening, break-in board-up involves unique documentation requirements for both police and insurance reporting. Allied Emergency Services arrives quickly, secures every compromised entry point to prevent re-entry, and provides a written damage inventory that supports your police report and insurance claim. For residential properties, we prioritize same-day response to restore your family's sense of security as quickly as possible.
Commercial board-up in Lombard — particularly along the high-traffic retail corridors of Ogden Avenue, the Yorktown Center vicinity, and the industrial business parks near I-355 — requires a different level of precision and professionalism than residential work. Large plate glass storefronts, commercial door systems and loading dock entries require appropriate materials, proper fastening methods, and compliance with local building codes. We understand that business owners face not just physical damage but business interruption, and we work quickly and professionally to minimize the visual impact while maximizing security. After-hours response is standard — we understand retail and commercial tenants often discover damage when the store isn't staffed.
DuPage County and the Lombard area have a well-documented history of severe weather events that drive emergency board-up demand. Understanding Lombard's storm history helps property owners recognize the real and recurring risk they face.
Spring is historically the most active severe weather period for the Lombard area. The atmospheric setup that defines April through June in northern Illinois — warm Gulf moisture clashing with cold fronts tracking southeast from the Dakotas — produces the supercell thunderstorms responsible for the region's most destructive hail events. Golf-ball-sized hail (1.75" diameter) and above is the primary driver of residential roofing and window damage across DuPage County communities. Lombard's mature neighborhoods with older roofing stock are particularly vulnerable during spring hail events, when a single storm track can damage hundreds of homes in a narrow corridor within minutes.
The Midwest is ground zero for derecho events — fast-moving complexes of severe thunderstorms that generate straight-line wind damage across hundreds of miles. Wind speeds of 60–80 mph are common in derecho events impacting the Chicagoland area, and gusts exceeding 100 mph have been recorded in the most severe episodes. These wind events are responsible for the tree falls that punch through roofs and shatter windows throughout Lombard's residential neighborhoods. The 2020 Midwest derecho, while centered further south, demonstrated how quickly a massive wind event can sweep across Illinois and leave tens of thousands of properties damaged in a single afternoon. DuPage County emergency management regularly responds to derecho aftermaths with significant property damage tallies.
The July through September period brings a different character of storm risk to Lombard. Heat-driven convection produces afternoon and evening thunderstorms capable of generating brief but intense microbursts — localized downdrafts that can produce tornado-like damage in a very small geographic area without actually producing a tornado. Microbursts are particularly difficult to predict and prepare for, and their highly localized nature means one street may sustain significant damage while the next block over is untouched. Additionally, late summer brings the elevated tornado risk period for northern Illinois, with DuPage County having experienced multiple confirmed tornado touchdowns in recent decades — most notably events that cut through suburban communities and caused significant roof damage requiring immediate board-up and tarping response.
Winter in the Lombard area brings its own board-up trigger events. Ice storms that coat trees with heavy glaze ice cause catastrophic branch failures that crash through roofs and siding. Heavy snow accumulation combined with rain-on-snow events can cause flat and low-slope commercial roofs to fail under load, creating sudden structural breaches. The freeze-thaw cycles common in DuPage County from November through March also attack older structures, cracking masonry and causing window seals to fail in ways that may require emergency securing. Allied Emergency Services responds to winter structural emergencies with the same 24/7 urgency as warm-season storm calls — a collapsed roof section in January is no less urgent than one in July.
Storm events don't have a monopoly on emergency board-up need. House fires, commercial structure fires, vehicle-into-building incidents, and break-ins generate emergency board-up calls throughout the year regardless of season or weather. Lombard's mix of residential density, active commercial corridors and proximity to major highway infrastructure (I-88, I-355, Route 53) means that accident-related structural damage — including vehicle impacts to storefronts, gas explosions and fire incidents — are a year-round reality. Allied Emergency Services is prepared to respond to any structural emergency, not just weather events.
In the immediate aftermath of a storm or fire, many property owners consider tackling board-up themselves — a trip to the hardware store, a sheet of plywood, some nails. It seems simple enough. But there are compelling reasons why insurance companies, building codes and experienced restoration professionals uniformly recommend calling a licensed contractor rather than attempting DIY board-up.
Proper materials and fastening methods matter. Driving nails directly into window frames and siding to attach plywood causes additional damage to the structure that wasn't there before — damage that can complicate your insurance claim and add to your out-of-pocket costs. Professional board-up crews use appropriate fastening hardware, edge protectors, and installation techniques that secure the opening without causing supplemental damage to the surrounding structure. The materials we use — commercial-grade OSB, heavy-duty tarping with proper ballast and fastening systems — are also engineered to withstand continued weather exposure, unlike a single piece of hardware-store plywood tacked in place in a hurry.
Roof tarping requires professional equipment and training. Getting onto a storm-damaged or fire-damaged roof is genuinely dangerous work. Damaged decking may be structurally compromised in ways that aren't visible from the ground, and wet surfaces create serious fall risks. Allied crews are OSHA-trained, equipped with proper fall protection gear, and experienced at assessing structural safety before ascending. A homeowner attempting DIY roof tarping after a storm puts themselves at serious risk of a second injury emergency on top of the property damage they're already dealing with.
Insurance-grade documentation. Professional board-up generates the photographs, written damage descriptions, material logs and contractor certification that insurance adjusters require when processing board-up costs as part of a claim. DIY board-up produces none of this documentation, which can result in the board-up cost being excluded from the claim entirely or disputed during the adjustment process. Our written reports are specifically formatted to support insurance claim filing and adjuster review.
Code compliance for commercial properties. Commercial storefronts in Lombard must meet specific municipal code requirements for securing damaged buildings, including materials specifications and visibility requirements. A non-code-compliant board-up can result in municipal citation. Allied handles code compliance as part of every commercial board-up engagement.
While you're waiting for Allied Emergency Services to arrive, there are a few things you can do — and should avoid — to protect yourself and preserve the integrity of your damage claim.
Our crew is ready — call now:
(800) 792-0212Allied Emergency Services is a full-service restoration contractor. When you call us for emergency board-up in Lombard, you're not just getting a temporary fix — you're engaging a partner that can take your property all the way from the moment of damage to fully restored condition.
Our crew arrives at your Lombard property, assesses the structural situation for safety, and immediately begins securing all open and exposed areas. We install board-up on windows and doors, apply heavy-duty roof tarping where needed, and stabilize any compromised structural elements. The goal at this stage is simple: stop the bleeding. No more weather, no more unauthorized access, no further deterioration from this point forward. We complete the initial stabilization during a single visit and leave your property in a secured, weathertight state.
Simultaneously with the board-up work, our team conducts a comprehensive damage documentation process. This includes high-resolution photography of all damaged areas — roofing, windows, siding, structural elements, interior moisture intrusion — as well as written damage descriptions, material measurements and an initial scope of damage summary. This documentation is generated in a format specifically designed to support your insurance claim filing and adjuster review. We capture everything before and after the board-up so the full scope of the original damage is preserved on record, not obscured by the temporary repairs.
Once your adjuster has been assigned and schedules their inspection, Allied Emergency Services can make our documentation and crew leadership available to walk the property alongside them. We help ensure that every damaged item is visible and documented during the adjuster's visit — not because we negotiate claims (we don't, and we won't), but because we know what restoration work costs and we want the documented scope to be accurate and complete. We work alongside your insurance carrier; we are licensed restoration contractors, not adjusters or public adjusters. Our role is to document damage accurately and perform the repairs your policy covers.
With an approved scope of work in hand, Allied moves into the permanent repair phase. This includes roofing replacement or repair using manufacturer-certified materials, window and door replacement, siding restoration, structural repairs, and any interior work caused by water intrusion during the period of exposure. Continuity of contractor from board-up through permanent repairs means no gaps in documentation, no finger-pointing between contractors over who is responsible for what, and a clean, single-source warranty on the completed work. For Lombard property owners, this means one call, one crew, and one point of accountability from emergency to completion.
At the conclusion of all permanent restoration work, Allied conducts a formal final walkthrough with the property owner. We review every item in the original damage scope to confirm completion, inspect the quality of all installed materials, and address any items that require additional attention before project close-out. We provide the property owner with all warranty documentation for materials and workmanship, and we confirm that all permit inspections have been completed and closed. Our goal is not just a completed project — it's a property owner who feels fully confident in the work and would call Allied again without hesitation the next time a storm rolls through DuPage County.
Real experiences from real property owners in the communities we serve.
"A tree branch came through our living room window during a storm that hit Lombard hard on a Friday night. I called Allied at about 11 PM not expecting much, and they had a crew at our house before 1 AM. The guys were professional, fast, and completely cleaned up after themselves. The boarding was solid — kept everything dry until we could get the window replaced. When we did the full repair, we used Allied again. Couldn't have asked for a better experience in a really stressful situation."
"Our commercial storefront on Ogden got hit by hail that shattered the plate glass window on a Sunday morning. We had inventory exposed and couldn't leave it open. Allied was there within the hour — I honestly didn't think that was possible on a Sunday. They boarded the window professionally, gave us a detailed write-up for our business insurance claim, and the adjuster commented on how thorough the documentation was. We had the window replaced within two weeks and Allied handled that too. Total professionals from start to finish."
"After a break-in at our rental property near Westmore-Meyers Road, I needed someone fast and trustworthy. Allied came out the same evening, secured the kicked-in door and a broken rear window, and gave me the itemized report my insurance company asked for. They didn't oversell me on anything — just did exactly what was needed, quickly and at a fair price. I've already recommended them to two other landlords in the area. If you own rental property in DuPage County, you want Allied in your phone contacts before you need them."
Reviews represent typical customer experiences.
From your first call to secured property — here's exactly what happens when you contact Allied Emergency Services in Lombard.
When you call (800) 792-0212, a live team member answers immediately — no voicemail, no automated system, no call center overseas. We collect your property address, a brief description of the damage, and confirm any safety concerns (gas leaks, structural collapse, fire activity). This call is typically 3–5 minutes and results in an immediate dispatch.
Your call triggers immediate crew dispatch from our closest available unit. We target 60-minute arrival for Lombard properties under normal conditions. You'll receive confirmation of the crew's ETA and the crew lead's contact information so you're not left wondering when help is coming.
Our crew lead performs a rapid safety assessment of the property before beginning work — checking for structural instability, active utility hazards, and access risks. We will not send a crew member into a genuinely unsafe situation, and we won't ask you to enter one either. Safety first, securing second.
Before touching anything, we complete a thorough photographic and written record of the damage in its original state. This documentation is your primary evidence for the insurance claim. We take wide-angle exterior shots, close-up damage details, and interior photos of any water intrusion or secondary damage — everything your adjuster will need to process the claim accurately.
With documentation complete, we secure all open and exposed areas of the structure using appropriate materials and methods for the type and size of each opening. Residential windows, commercial plate glass, roof openings, damaged doors — each requires different materials and techniques, and our crews are trained and equipped for all of them. We work efficiently but thoroughly, ensuring every opening is properly closed before we leave your property.
Our team responds within 1 hour — don't let damage get worse.
We maintain crews throughout DuPage County and the greater Chicagoland area, targeting 60-minute arrival at most Lombard properties. Whether you're near Yorktown Center, along St. Charles Road, or in a residential neighborhood off Main Street, we dispatch immediately around the clock — nights, weekends and holidays included.
In most cases, yes. Standard property insurance policies typically cover emergency board-up as part of protecting against further covered damage. We provide itemized documentation — photographs, written damage descriptions, material logs — that your adjuster needs to process the board-up expense. Always notify your insurer promptly after calling us.
Yes. We hold Illinois Roofing Contractor License #104.019029, carry comprehensive general liability insurance, are IICRC Certified (#70133670), and are EPA Lead-Safe Certified. We provide our license number and certificates of insurance upon request, before any work begins.
Absolutely. Allied Emergency Services is a full-service restoration contractor. We can take you from emergency stabilization through complete permanent restoration — roofing, windows, siding, doors, and structural repairs — under one contractor, one warranty, and one point of accountability. This continuity simplifies the insurance process considerably.
Stay out of any structurally compromised areas. Photograph the damage from a safe distance if possible. Call your insurance carrier to report the loss. Do not throw away any damaged materials before the adjuster's inspection. Turn off utilities if it's safe to do so. Keep children and pets away from the damaged structure until we've completed the board-up.
Allied Emergency Services responds to board-up emergencies throughout Lombard and across the surrounding DuPage County communities. Whether you're in the historic district near Lilac Park, the Westmore area, neighborhoods along Finley Road or Elizabeth Avenue, the townhome communities near Highland Avenue, or any commercial district along Ogden Avenue or Roosevelt Road — we come to you, 24 hours a day.
Allied Emergency Services responds to board-up and storm damage restoration emergencies across the Midwest. Find your community below.
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