If you live in a hail-prone area, here's one thing you can do to protect your home. When choosing a roofing material, look for asphalt or composition shingles that carry an Underwriters Laboratories Class 4 impact-resistance rating.

A Class 4 rating tells you that a sample of the roof covering did not crack when hit twice in the same spot by a two-inch steel ball dropped from a height designed to simulate the force of free-falling hailstones. A two-inch steel ball represents a large hailstone.

The test isn't perfect (metal roofs may resist cracking but dent), but could give you some peace of mind that your roof will hold up in a hailstorm. For more information, visit the Institute for Business and Home Safety's web site at www.ibhs.org