Emergency Roof Tarping and Temporary Repairs: What to Do After Storm Damage

Document Before You Cover

Before anything goes over the damaged area, take photos. Take them from the ground. Take them from a ladder at the eaves if it's safe. Get video if you can. Document every visible impact, every torn section, every missing shingle. This pre-tarping documentation is critical for your insurance claim — once a tarp is over the damage, subsequent photos won't capture the same detail. If water is actively coming in, prioritize stopping the water, but get photos first if conditions allow. Interior damage should also be documented — water stains on ceilings, wet insulation visible from the attic, damaged belongings. Move valuables away from affected areas but photograph them in place before you move them.

What Proper Tarping Looks Like

A properly installed emergency tarp covers the damaged section plus a minimum 3-4 feet of overlap onto undamaged roof on all sides. It's a 6-mil minimum polyethylene tarp (not a thin blue hardware store tarp) secured with 2x4 or 2x6 battens nailed or screwed into the decking — not just bungee-corded to the ridge. The tarp should extend over the ridge and down the other side if the damage is near the peak. Edges should be folded and secured to prevent wind from getting underneath. A tarp thrown over the damage and held down by a few bricks is not emergency protection — it'll be in a neighbor's yard the first time a storm comes through. JRH does emergency tarping 24/7 in DFW.

Filing the Claim Before You Repair

Emergency tarping is covered under most Texas homeowner policies as mitigation work. File your claim as soon as the damage occurs — most policies have reporting requirements, and delayed filing can complicate your claim. Keep the receipt for any emergency work and submit it as part of the claim. Do not make permanent repairs before an adjuster inspects the damage — your insurer needs to see the damage in its original state (or close to it). Emergency tarping is fine. Pulling old shingles and re-roofing before the adjuster shows up is not. If a contractor pushes you to start permanent work before the adjuster visits, that's a red flag.

Avoiding Storm Chasers After a DFW Hailstorm

After major storms in DFW, out-of-state contractors flood the market. They're not all bad — some are legitimate roofers following the work. The red flags: asking you to sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) or direction-to-pay form on the doorstep, asking for a significant deposit before insurance approval, no local office address, no Texas contractor registration, pressuring you to sign the same day they knock. Texas law (SB 1628) prohibits roofers from offering monetary incentives in exchange for filing a claim. Call a local DFW contractor you can verify — JRH at (469) 888-6903. We're here year-round, not just after storms.