Water coming through a ceiling is stressful, and the urge is to climb up and do something. Don't. Most of what you can do in the first hour happens inside, and the roof can wait until it is safe. Here is what to do, in order, and what an emergency repair on a flat roof involves.
The first steps, inside
- Electricity first. If water is near a light fixture, outlet or panel, shut off that circuit at the breaker. Stay away from wet wiring.
- Catch the water. Buckets, towels, a tarp or plastic sheet under the drip. Move furniture, rugs, electronics and papers out of the way.
- Watch the ceiling. A ceiling bulging with water can come down. Keep people out from under it. Poking a small hole at the lowest point with a screwdriver, over a bucket, lets the water drain in a controlled way instead of all at once.
- Note where and when. Where the drip is, and whether it started with heavy rain, wind, or melting snow. That helps trace the leak later.
Stay off the roof in a storm
Flat roofs feel safe because they are flat, but wet membranes are slick, skylights and roof hatches can give way, edges have no railing, and lightning is a real risk. Wait until the storm has passed and it is daylight. If you do go up once it is safe, the one useful thing a homeowner can usually do is clear leaves from a rear gutter, scupper or drain that is backed up.
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Document it for insurance
Take dated photos and video of the inside damage, the ceiling, and anything that got wet. If it is safe, photograph the roof too: a torn edge, a fallen limb, a backed-up drain. Keep receipts for buckets, tarps, water removal and the temporary repair. Most policies distinguish between sudden damage, which is often covered, and wear and lack of maintenance, which usually isn't. Your policy and adjuster decide.
How an emergency flat roof repair works
An emergency visit has one goal: stop the water. On a flat roof that usually means one or more of these:
- Clear the drainage so the roof can empty.
- Temporary patch over an open seam, puncture or torn flashing, with a material that bonds in poor conditions.
- Temporary membrane over a larger damaged area, secured at the edges so wind and water can't get under it.
- Secure loose edges and edge metal so wind can't peel the roof back further.
The permanent repair follows when the roof is dry and warm enough for the materials to bond, priced in writing first. See how flat roof leaks are found and fixed.
The usual Pittsburgh emergencies
Summer thunderstorms that drop more rain than a clogged rear gutter can handle. Wind that lifts an edge or a corner. Tree limbs on older streets with mature trees. And late-winter melt, when snow sits on a flat roof, the drain or gutter is frozen, and meltwater backs up under flashings. See flat roofs in winter.
Choosing a contractor in a hurry
After big storms, out-of-town crews knock on doors. In Pennsylvania, contractors doing home improvement work generally must be registered with the Attorney General's office under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, the contract must be in writing with the registration number on it, and homeowners generally have three business days to cancel. Don't sign over insurance proceeds on the spot, and don't pay in full before the work is done.
The bottom line
Make the inside safe, stay off the roof until the storm passes, photograph everything, then call for an emergency dry-in. See emergency roof repair.