An open structure invites weather, theft and liability — we secure it in hours, 24/7
📞 CALL (800) 792-0212 NOW Request Free InspectionWhen your Mount Prospect property suffers storm, fire, or break-in damage, the clock starts ticking immediately. What begins as a single broken window or a section of missing roof can escalate into catastrophic additional loss within just hours. Understanding what is happening to your property right now — before a board-up crew arrives — should motivate you to make that call immediately.
Within the first few hours of an unprotected opening, rain and wind-driven debris begin entering the structure. In the Chicago suburban region, even a moderate rainstorm following hail damage can push gallons of water through a broken window opening, saturating drywall, insulation, flooring, cabinetry, and personal belongings. Water that sits for 24–48 hours creates conditions for mold growth that can spread through wall cavities and attic spaces in days, turning a manageable repair into a gut renovation.
Once night falls on a visibly damaged property, the threat picture changes dramatically. A home or commercial building with broken windows, missing doors, or obvious roof damage is a beacon for thieves, vandals, and trespassers. Opportunistic theft following storm events is common throughout Cook County, and an unsecured commercial storefront can be stripped of inventory and equipment overnight. Squatters can establish themselves in vacant or abandoned-looking structures with alarming speed.
From an insurance standpoint, virtually every standard property policy — whether residential or commercial — contains a "duty to mitigate" clause. This means the policyholder is required to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a covered loss. An insurer that reviews a claim and finds the property was left unsecured for days after the event may deny or significantly reduce coverage for the additional damage that accumulated. Emergency board-up is the documented, recognized method of meeting this obligation.
There is also a serious liability dimension. An open structure — particularly one with unstable walls, broken glass, or exposed wiring — is an "attractive nuisance" under Illinois law. If a child, teenager, or trespasser enters the property and is injured, the liability may fall on the property owner regardless of the trespass. Animals entering through open roof sections or damaged foundations can cause their own structural damage and create additional health hazards.
Every day without board-up compounds your repair costs, your insurance risk, and your legal exposure. Call Allied Emergency Services right now at (800) 792-0212 — our Mount Prospect team is available 24/7 and can be on-site within the hour.
Mount Prospect is a thriving Cook County village of approximately 55,000 residents situated in the northwest Chicago suburbs, bordered by Arlington Heights to the northwest, Des Plaines to the north and east, Elk Grove Village to the southeast, and Prospect Heights to the north. The community is characterized by a mix of well-established single-family residential neighborhoods, active commercial corridors along Rand Road, Central Road, and Elmhurst Road, and major retail developments near Randhurst Village — one of the largest mixed-use retail and residential centers in the northwest suburbs.
Residential neighborhoods in Mount Prospect span from the original post-war bungalow and cape cod homes near the downtown Metra station area along Main Street and Busse Avenue, to the larger newer developments west of Wolf Road and south toward Golf Road. The Mount Prospect Park District maintains Lion's Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and Melas Park among others. The community is also home to Prospect High School and serves families throughout Districts 57 and 59. This variety of residential stock — from 1950s construction to newer developments — means the local housing base faces a wide range of vulnerability profiles during severe weather events.
Geographically, Mount Prospect sits in the flat glacially-formed Lake Plain that characterizes much of northeastern Illinois. This topography offers virtually no natural windbreaks, meaning severe thunderstorms, derechos, and winter weather systems move through the area with full force. The village is also positioned directly in the path of storm tracks that enter Illinois from Iowa and Wisconsin, intensify over the warm urban heat island of metropolitan Chicago, and drop large hail along their southeastern progression through Cook and Lake counties. Flooding is also a periodic concern in lower-lying areas near McDonald Creek and the Weller Creek tributary system.
Allied Emergency Services has responded to storm damage events throughout Mount Prospect, from individual hail-damaged windows on residential streets in the Linneman School area to multi-unit commercial board-up jobs along the Rand Road retail corridor following severe wind events. We know this community, its building stock, and its weather risks.
Whether it's a single broken window or a catastrophically damaged commercial building, Allied Emergency Services has the crew, equipment, and experience to secure your Mount Prospect property around the clock.
Severe thunderstorms, hail, and straight-line wind events are a recurring reality throughout Cook County and the Mount Prospect area. When a storm rolls through and leaves broken windows, shattered sliding glass doors, or gaping holes in your roof deck, you need immediate professional securing. Our storm board-up service covers every type of opening a severe weather event creates, using heavy-duty materials properly fastened to structural framing — not just slapped against the opening.
After a structure fire, a property is often left in a state of profound vulnerability. Firefighters necessarily break windows and doors to ventilate smoke and access the structure. Roof sections may be partially collapsed or burned through. The combination of open access points, weakened structure, and the obvious indication of a recent fire event creates enormous risks for theft, vandalism, and further weather damage. Allied Emergency Services coordinates directly with fire scene safety officers to begin the board-up process as soon as the scene is released, minimizing the window of vulnerability.
A burglary or vandalism incident leaves more than emotional distress — it leaves your home or business physically open and vulnerable to repeat entry. Whether thieves kicked in a door, smashed a window, or broke through a storefront, re-securing the entry point is a priority that cannot wait until morning. Allied Emergency Services provides same-day and same-night break-in board-up service in Mount Prospect, working with police report documentation to support insurance claims for the damage.
Commercial properties along Mount Prospect's major corridors — Rand Road, Elmhurst Road, Central Road, and Busse Avenue — often feature large plate glass windows, glass entryway systems, and high-value storefronts that require specialized board-up materials and techniques. A standard sheet of plywood is not appropriate for a retail storefront facing a public street; commercial applications require proper panel materials, professional installation, and compliance with local building and public safety codes. Allied's commercial board-up division handles businesses of all sizes, from small retail shops to large multi-tenant commercial centers.
Understanding the storm history of the Mount Prospect area is essential context for any property owner. The northwest Chicago suburbs — sitting in the primary convergence zone of Gulf moisture pushing north and Canadian air masses pushing south — experience some of the most severe convective weather in the nation on a recurring basis.
The most dangerous hail-producing season for Mount Prospect and Cook County runs from late March through mid-June, when warm, moist air streaming north from the Gulf of Mexico collides with persistent cold air masses over the Great Lakes. Supercell thunderstorms tracking northeast through the Chicago metropolitan area frequently produce hail ranging from pea-sized to baseball-sized. Properties throughout Mount Prospect — particularly those with older asphalt shingle roofs, aluminum siding from the 1970s and 1980s, and original single-pane or early double-pane windows — are highly vulnerable to hail damage that creates immediate board-up needs.
Every few years, the Chicago metropolitan area is struck by a derecho — a fast-moving, widespread wind damage event associated with squall lines that can extend hundreds of miles. These events typically produce sustained winds of 60–80 mph and gusts exceeding 100 mph in the strongest cells. A derecho moving through Mount Prospect can snap mature trees onto homes, strip roofing materials across entire neighborhoods simultaneously, and take down power lines that compromise building security systems. The August and September period also brings the highest-intensity individual thunderstorm cells, which can produce brief but devastating tornado touchdowns in Cook County.
As the jet stream drops south in autumn, powerful extratropical cyclones sweeping across the Great Lakes region generate sustained winds that rival summer storms. These events frequently strike on weekday afternoons or overnight, catching property owners off-guard. Unlike summer convective storms that can be tracked on radar with some warning, late-fall wind events can escalate rapidly and cause widespread window and roof damage across Mount Prospect's older residential stock before emergency services can position ahead of them.
Heavy lake-effect snow events and freezing rain episodes create board-up situations unique to winter: ice damming on roofs that forces water under shingles and through ceilings, roof collapses on older structures from excessive snow loading, and frozen pipes that burst and create interior flooding that then requires emergency water mitigation and structure drying. Mount Prospect's housing stock — with a significant percentage of homes built before modern insulation and roofing standards — is particularly susceptible to ice dam and snow load issues during severe winters. Allied Emergency Services provides year-round emergency response including winter-specific tarping, temporary heat, and emergency structural securing.
There is no "off season" for storm damage in Mount Prospect. Every month brings the potential for a weather event that creates an emergency board-up situation. Having Allied Emergency Services' number — (800) 792-0212 — saved in your phone before you need it is the single most actionable step you can take to minimize the impact of storm damage on your property and insurance claim.
When property owners see a broken window or a damaged door after a storm, the instinct is often to grab whatever lumber is in the garage and nail it up. It's understandable — you want to protect your home right now. But DIY plywood board-up creates a set of problems that professional emergency securing avoids entirely, and those problems frequently cost more to fix than simply calling a professional from the start.
The most immediate issue with amateur board-up is frame and sill damage. Driving nails or screws directly into window frames, door frames, brick mold, or finished exterior trim to secure plywood creates fastener holes that must be repaired before permanent window or door replacement can occur. Professional board-up technicians use specialized fastening techniques and structural anchoring points that secure the boarding without damaging the existing frame or surround. This keeps your restoration scope clean and prevents additional line items on your repair estimate.
Material quality is a second major factor. Household plywood — especially if it has been sitting in a garage through multiple Illinois winters — is not rated for exterior weather exposure. A sheet of interior-grade plywood left over from a home project will delaminate, warp, and fail within days of exposure to rain, allowing the very water intrusion you were trying to prevent. Allied Emergency Services uses exterior-grade materials cut and fitted to the specific opening dimensions, providing a weathertight seal that holds until permanent repair begins.
Roof tarping is a category where DIY attempts are not just ineffective but actively dangerous. Walking on a storm-damaged roof — particularly one with broken or missing decking, wet shingles, or structural compromise — puts untrained homeowners at serious risk of falling through or off the structure. Our crews are OSHA-trained and equipped with proper fall protection and roof access systems, allowing them to safely apply and properly anchor commercial-grade tarps that provide genuine weather protection rather than a tarp held down with rocks and scraps of lumber.
Finally, professional board-up provides the insurance documentation that DIY efforts cannot. When your insurer's adjuster reviews your claim, they will look for evidence of timely, professional mitigation. A time-stamped, geo-tagged photo record from a licensed, credentialed restoration contractor — accompanied by a written damage assessment — establishes the pre-mitigation state of your property and demonstrates you fulfilled your duty to mitigate. This documentation can be the difference between a fully approved claim and a disputed one.
Once you've called Allied at (800) 792-0212 and a crew is en route, there are a few important steps you can take to prepare — and critical cautions to follow.
Allied Emergency Services doesn't stop at the board-up. We guide Mount Prospect property owners through every step of the restoration journey, from the moment we secure the structure through the final quality walkthrough when permanent repairs are complete.
The moment you call, our dispatcher routes the nearest crew to your Mount Prospect property. On arrival, our technicians assess all openings, identify any immediate life-safety concerns, and begin the securing process. Windows are boarded, roof sections are tarped, and entry points are secured against weather, theft, and unauthorized access. The property is stabilized within hours of your call — regardless of time of day, weather conditions, or day of the week.
Simultaneously with the board-up, our crew captures a comprehensive photographic and written record of all visible damage. Time-stamped, geo-tagged photos document every broken window, roof breach, siding damage, and structural impact in the exact condition we found it. This documentation package is critical for your insurance submission and establishes a clear record of the scope of loss before any repair work begins. We document what you lost so you don't have to fight for it later.
Allied Emergency Services works alongside your insurance carrier's adjuster throughout the inspection and estimation process. We make our documentation available directly, ensure the adjuster has access to the property, and provide a detailed scope of required repairs based on industry-standard pricing. We are a licensed restoration contractor — we document damage and perform repairs. We do not adjust, negotiate, or settle insurance claims, but we ensure our repair scope is complete and clearly presented so you receive coverage for everything you're entitled to under your policy.
Once the insurance claim is approved and materials are sourced, Allied's restoration crews begin permanent repairs. This phase includes complete window replacement with properly sealed and flashed new units, roof repair or replacement using premium shingles or commercial roofing systems, siding restoration and replacement to match existing profiles, water damage remediation if interior intrusion occurred, and any structural repairs identified during the board-up and documentation phase. All work is performed by licensed, insured crews under applicable building permits.
Before we consider a job complete, a project manager conducts a thorough final walkthrough with the property owner. We inspect every repair against the original scope of work, confirm all replaced components are properly installed, sealed, and finished, verify that all boards and tarps have been removed and openings permanently closed, and confirm the property is returned to pre-loss condition or better. We don't consider the job closed until you do — your satisfaction and the integrity of the repair are our professional obligation.
"A severe thunderstorm on a Tuesday night took out three windows on the back of our house and punched a hole through the garage roof. I called Allied at 11 PM and a crew was at our house on Forest Avenue by midnight. They had everything boarded up and a tarp on the roof before the next round of rain moved through. The documentation they provided was exactly what my insurance adjuster needed. Couldn't have handled it without them."
"We own a small restaurant on Rand Road and someone broke in overnight, smashing the front glass door and a side window. Allied was on-site within the hour after we called, had the storefront fully secured, and gave us police-report documentation paperwork that our commercial insurance carrier accepted without question. They also came back to help with the permanent glass replacement. Responsive, professional, and they clearly know what they're doing with commercial properties."
"After the big hail storm in early summer, our roof was absolutely destroyed — shingles stripped off a 15-foot section and water was coming into the master bedroom. Allied came out the same evening, got a proper commercial tarp on the roof, and the crew lead walked me through exactly what to expect with the insurance process. Six weeks later the roof was fully replaced and every window in the back of the house was new. They managed the whole thing from board-up to final walkthrough."
Reviews represent typical customer experiences. Individual results may vary.
When damage happens, every minute matters. Allied's emergency response process is streamlined to get a trained crew to your Mount Prospect property in the shortest possible time with everything needed to secure it right the first time.
A live dispatcher answers your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — no voicemail, no answering service. Describe your damage and location and we'll confirm a crew is en route. We'll give you an estimated arrival time and a direct callback number.
Our pre-staged northwest suburban crews are positioned for rapid response throughout Cook County, including Mount Prospect. Crew vehicles are stocked with standard board-up materials, commercial tarps, fastening systems, and documentation equipment so there's no delay for supply runs.
On arrival, the crew lead performs a rapid safety assessment of the property before any work begins. We identify all structural openings, note any life-safety hazards, communicate our plan with you, and begin the documentation process while the boarding team assembles materials.
Boards and tarps are installed using professional techniques that protect your frames and trim, create weathertight seals, and are anchored to withstand subsequent weather events. Every opening is secured before the crew leaves your property.
You receive a complete written and photographic documentation package. Our project manager reviews restoration options with you and can typically have a restoration estimate ready within 24 hours. We stay with you from this moment through final repair completion.
Allied maintains crews staged across the northwest Chicago suburbs with technicians familiar with Mount Prospect and all of Cook County. From the moment you call (800) 792-0212, our dispatch team routes the nearest available crew directly to your property. In most cases, our team arrives within 60 minutes or less. Mount Prospect's location along the I-90 corridor and proximity to Elk Grove Village and Arlington Heights makes it one of our fastest-response zones in the Greater Chicagoland area. We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including all holidays.
Board-up is required any time a structure has an opening that exposes the interior to the elements, unauthorized entry, or liability risk. This includes broken windows from hail or wind, doors blown off or damaged beyond latching, roof sections where shingles or decking have been torn away, and any structural breach caused by fire, explosion, or impact. Illinois building codes and most standard insurance policies require the property owner to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage after a loss event — and emergency board-up is the baseline mitigation measure recognized by insurers.
In most cases, yes. The majority of standard homeowners and commercial property policies include coverage for emergency protective measures as part of property protection provisions. The key requirement is that the damage was caused by a covered peril. Allied provides thorough photographic documentation and written damage reports that can be submitted to your insurance carrier to support reimbursement. Note: Allied Emergency Services is a licensed restoration contractor. We document damage and perform repairs. We do not adjust, negotiate, or settle insurance claims on your behalf.
Emergency boards are a temporary protective measure, not a permanent repair. In most residential situations, boards remain in place from a few days to several weeks — depending on how quickly the underlying damage can be assessed, permits pulled, and materials sourced for permanent repair. Allied offers complete restoration from initial emergency securing through window replacement, roof repair, siding restoration, and interior damage mitigation. Once board-up is complete, our project manager will walk you through the restoration path and timeline.
Yes. Allied holds an active Illinois Roofing Contractor license #104.019029, is IICRC Certified as a Restoration Firm (#70133670), holds EPA Lead-Safe Firm certification, and carries full general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Our team members hold OSHA 10 and 30-hour certifications, and our principals are FEMA-trained SKYWARN Storm Spotters. Mount Prospect property owners can be confident that work performed by Allied meets or exceeds Illinois contractor licensing requirements.
Our team responds within 1 hour — don't let damage get worse.
Allied Emergency Services provides emergency board-up and storm damage restoration throughout Mount Prospect and the surrounding northwest Chicago suburbs. We serve all neighborhoods within Mount Prospect, including areas near Lion's Park, Melas Park, Randhurst Village, the downtown Metra station area, Central Road, Rand Road, Euclid Avenue, and Busse Avenue corridors, as well as nearby communities throughout Cook and Lake counties.
Allied Emergency Services provides board-up and storm damage restoration throughout the Midwest. Find your city below.
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