Remember that walking on the roof can be dangerous. The shingles could be weak and you could slip. Check for roof failure from the ground. The underlayment and sheathing usually gets blown off along the eaves and rakes which are most exposed to wind damage. Curled and cracked shingles, deteriorated flashing, etc are signs of a roof going bad. You can detect these standing on the ground. You are allowed to place new shingles over the old ones; it saves time. But on the flip side it tremendously increases the load on the roof. It is best that you replace the old tiles with new ones.

It not only reduces the load on the supporting beams and the walls but also offers greater grip and support. While you’re removing the old shingles, you should also remove the underlaying under which the roof sheathing is present. Portions of the sheathing may have rotted away with time; these should be replaced with sheathing of the same thickness. Also check if the roof is fastened with metal hurricane straps. The clips are usually installed at the junction of the roof rafters and the exterior walls. 

The roof sheathing should be fastened along the roof corners and eaves; these are spots where the wind pressure intensifies over time. You may wish to use some eight-penny ring shank nails at a distance of four inches, but don’t overdo it or you will split the underlying plywood. For sheathing that is not on the edges, you can have the nails at a distance of around six inches.

You can increase the security of the shingles by adding some quick-setting asphalt cement along the shingle tabs. You need to be particularly careful with shingled roofs as shingles are not really capable of absorbing hurricane force winds. Select shingles that have self-locking tabs. Before laying the shingles ensure that the surface is as level as possible so that the shingles are properly aligned. This will enable shingles with adhesives to fasten nicely to one another.
 

Additional roofing options include wood shakes, metal shingles, clay and concrete tiles, etc. Clay tiles are the least suitable for use in hurricane-prone regions as they can chip easily and may also become windborne. You will need the advice and inputs of a roofing contractor for these roof-types.