What to Do If Your Roof Starts Leaking During a Storm
If your roof starts leaking in the middle of a storm, the best things you can do are catch the water, protect your home, stay off the roof, and call a roofer who answers after hours.
In Green Country, storms don't wait for business hours. Hail, high winds, and heavy rain can open up a roof in minutes. A few calm, quick steps in the first hour can keep a small leak from turning into a ceiling repair, a drywall job, and a much bigger bill.
What to do right now
Put a bucket in the attic. If you can safely reach the attic, find where the water is coming through and set a bucket directly under it. Catching water at the source keeps it from soaking into insulation and your ceiling.
Put a second bucket inside the house. Place one wherever water is dripping into a room. Lay towels around it to catch splashes.
Move what you can out of the way. Shift furniture, electronics, rugs, and keepsakes away from the drip.
Watch for water near electrical. If water is running near a light fixture, outlet, or ceiling fan, stay clear and shut off power to that area at the breaker if it's safe to do so.
Take photos and video. Document the leak, the water, and any damage inside. It helps your roofer find the problem, and it helps if you end up filing an insurance claim.
Call for help. A roofer with an after-hours emergency line can get your roof covered the same night.
What not to do
Don't go up on the roof. A wet roof is slick, and storms bring wind and lightning. No one, not even our crews, should climb onto a roof until it has dried out. A leak can wait an hour. An injury can't be undone.
Don't ignore a small drip. A slow leak is still a leak. Water that keeps getting in will soak your decking and insulation long before you see a stain on the ceiling.
Don't call your insurance company first. Get an inspection before you file a claim. More on why below.
When to call F5 Roofing & Gutters
Call us as soon as you notice the leak. F5 is available 24 hours a day, and in an emergency we can usually be at your home within two hours. We serve homeowners within about an hour of Tulsa.
We offer same-night emergency tarping. When storms are in the forecast, we watch the weather and prep ahead of time. Two-person crews are staged with tarps, synthetic underlayment, nails, and wood strips, ready to roll the moment calls come in. That preparation is how we get your roof covered fast, even on the busiest storm nights.
Once it's safe and the roof has dried, we track down the source of the leak with one person in the attic and one on the roof. Where the water shows up matters. A leak near a chimney, for example, needs different repairs than one in an open section of roof.
Top 5 companies to call for a storm leak in Tulsa
When water is coming through the ceiling, you need a company that picks up the phone. Here are five Tulsa-area options worth saving in your contacts before the next storm.
F5 Roofing & Gutters. Local, family-owned, and available 24/7. We can usually reach you within two hours, offer same-night emergency tarping, and serve homes within about an hour of Tulsa. Licensed, insured, and bonded.
The Roofing Guys. A Tulsa-based roofer offering 24/7 storm-damage support, including tarping and repairs to stop water from getting in.
Right Now Roofing & Solar. A locally owned residential and commercial roofer that offers 24/7 emergency roofing and aims for same-day inspections.
A-Best Roofing. One of Tulsa's longest-running roofers, serving homes and businesses since 1988.
ServiceMaster Restoration by RSI – Tulsa. Not a roofer, but a good call if water has already soaked into your home. They offer 24/7 emergency tarping and water damage cleanup.
After the storm: inspection and insurance
Get an inspection before you file a claim. We follow a 70% rule: we want to be at least 70% sure you have a valid claim before you file. A claim that isn't covered can still raise your premium, so a roofer's inspection protects you from filing one you don't need.
Know what your inspection report should include. An F5 inspection gives you photos and video of the damage (or proof there isn't any), an honest summary of your roof's condition, how much life it has left, and the next steps, including maintenance. We email the report and then call to walk you through it.
Ask the right questions. What kind of damage do I have? How bad is it? How will it affect my roof down the road? How soon does it need to be fixed?
Have your roofer meet the adjuster. If you do file, we'll meet your insurance adjuster on site and walk the roof with them. Adjusters are insurance specialists. We're roofing specialists. Representing you is part of the job, so all the damage gets seen and documented.
Don't let the deductible hold you up. Financing can be used alongside an insurance claim, and many homeowners use it to cover their deductible.
Why a small leak gets expensive fast
A leak that isn't fixed doesn't stay small. Water rots the underside of the roof decking until it opens a hole in the roof, and eventually in your ceiling. At that point, you're paying for more than a roof repair. You're paying for new sheetrock, mud, tape, and paint.
Oklahoma weather makes this worse. A builder-grade "30-year" shingle might really last 30 years in sunny San Diego. Here in Tulsa, the same shingle typically lasts 8 to 12 years. Storms wear roofs down faster, which is why catching problems early matters so much.
Roof leaking right now? Call F5.
F5 Roofing & Gutters is local and family-owned. We're licensed, insured, and bonded, and we're available 24/7 for emergency leaks and same-night tarping across the Tulsa area.
Call [PHONE NUMBER] or request an inspection online. We'll get your roof covered tonight and help you figure out what comes next.