What to do in the first hour after your roof starts leaking

Inside the house, the goal is limiting the damage

Water spreads through drywall and insulation faster than it looks. Move anything valuable out of the room or cover it with plastic. Put buckets or towels under every drip. If water is running near a light fixture or outlet, switch off the breaker for that room.

A ceiling that sags with trapped water will eventually come down. Poking a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge lets it drain in a controlled way into a bucket, which does less damage than a ceiling collapse.

Outside, stay on the ground

Wet shingles, wind and poor light make roofs dangerous, and storm-damaged decking may not hold weight. Do not climb up to tarp it yourself. If you can safely see the damage from the ground, photograph it.

Document it before anything is fixed

If the leak followed a storm, it may be covered by insurance. Take photographs and video of the ceiling, the wet areas, damaged belongings and anything visible outside, and note the date and time. Keep receipts for anything you spend to prevent further damage, such as an emergency tarp.

Finding the cause is the roofer’s job

Leaks rarely enter directly above the stain. Water tracks along decking and rafters, so the source is often a vent, pipe boot, flashing or valley some distance away. After ice or snow, melting water can find gaps that rain does not. A roofer traces it from the attic and the roof, fixes the source and checks for wet decking that needs replacing.