If your roof is leaking during a storm, work in this order: protect the people and belongings below, contain the water, cut the power if it is near any wiring, document everything for your claim, and get a temporary cover on the leak before you call a roofer. What you should never do is climb onto a wet roof in the middle of a storm. Almost everything that helps in the moment can be done safely from inside. Here is the calm, step-by-step version for when water starts coming through your ceiling.
Do not go up on the roof
A wet, wind-loaded roof during a storm is one of the most dangerous places you can be, and there is nothing up there you can safely fix mid-storm. Every step below happens from inside your home. Save the roof itself for a professional once the weather clears.
1. Protect what is below the leak
The first move is to limit the damage inside. Move furniture, electronics, and anything valuable out from under the drip, and lay down towels or a plastic sheet to protect the floor. Water spreads and stains fast, so a minute of clearing the area now saves a lot of ruined belongings later.
2. Contain the water
Put a bucket or a large container under the active drip to catch it. Then watch your ceiling for a spot that is bulging or sagging, which means water is pooling above the drywall. That trapped water is heavier than it looks and can bring the whole section down at once.
Drain a bulging ceiling on purpose
It feels wrong, but if you see your ceiling bulging with trapped water, carefully puncture the lowest point of the bulge with a screwdriver and let it drain into a bucket. A small, controlled hole is far better than a ceiling that collapses all at once.
3. Cut the power if water is near wiring
Water and electricity are a dangerous mix. If a leak is near a light fixture, an outlet, or any wiring, or if water is running down a wall that contains them, turn off the power to that area at the breaker. Do not touch wet switches or fixtures. If you are unsure whether it is safe, stay clear and call an electrician once the storm passes.
4. Document everything for your claim
Before you clean up or repair anything, photograph and video the leak, the water damage, and every affected belonging. Timestamped evidence taken during or right after the event is exactly what supports an insurance claim, and it is central to documenting roof damage for insurance. Capture it while it is happening, because the scene changes the moment things dry out.
5. Cover the leak and call a roofer
Once the storm has passed and it is safe, the roof needs a temporary cover, usually a tarp, to stop water getting in until a proper repair can be made. This is emergency work best left to a professional, both for safety and because a tarp installed wrong does little good. Call a roofer for an emergency cover rather than attempting the roof yourself.
After the storm passes
A tarp is a stopgap, not a fix. Once the weather clears, the roof needs a real repair, which starts with finding where the water actually got in, since the leak inside is rarely below the entry point. Our guides on the common causes of a roof leak and what to do after major storm damage walk through the next steps toward a permanent fix.
Act fast on the permanent repair
Water that has already gotten in keeps damaging the decking, insulation, and drywall until the roof is properly fixed. The temporary tarp buys you days, not weeks. Line up the real repair as soon as the storm clears.
“In a storm leak, the roof is the last thing you touch, not the first. Protect the people below, contain the water, document it, and let a professional handle the roof when it is safe.”
Get an emergency roofer fast
When water is coming in, you need a roofer quickly, and you do not have time to chase callbacks. With Hommy you post the job once and get responses from vetted local roofers who handle storm emergencies, each with real ratings from other homeowners, so you can get a tarp on now and a permanent repair scheduled without the runaround.
