Why emergency tarping matters in the Puget Sound
Western Washington’s worst roof damage tends to come in winter, when strong wind and long stretches of rain arrive together. On November 19, 2024, a bomb cyclone brought down trees across northwest Washington, some of them onto homes, and nearly 600,000 Washington homes lost power, the Associated Press reported. When the roof is opened in weather like that, rain keeps falling long after the wind stops. A tarp closes the gap until a proper repair can be made.
Many homes around Seattle are surrounded by tall firs and other mature trees, so a single limb can puncture shingles, crack a skylight or break a ridge line. Wind and tree damage repair covers what happens inside the house; tarping is the step that stops new water from getting in.
What our emergency tarping service includes
- Safety check: we look for downed power lines, sagging roof sections and other hazards before anyone goes up.
- Roof tarping: heavy tarps secured over damaged sections, extended past the damage so water runs off rather than under.
- Board-up: broken windows, sliding doors and skylights covered to keep rain and wind out and the home secure.
- Inside check: we look at the attic, ceilings and walls below the damage and measure moisture.
- Documentation: photos of the damage and the work, moisture readings and an itemized scope for your insurer.
If water already got in, we start water extraction and structural drying right away. Our water damage restoration page explains how we dry walls, ceilings and insulation.
What to do right now
- Stay safe. Stay out of rooms under damaged roof areas, and stay away from downed power lines; call the utility. The Washington State Department of Health also advises avoiding weakened floors, walls and rooftops.
- Don’t go up on the roof. A wet, storm-damaged roof is not safe to walk on.
- Catch the water. Move furniture and electronics away from leaks and put down buckets and towels.
- Take photos. From the ground and from inside, before anything is moved.
- Call your insurer and call us. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner notes that storm damage to a roof should be repaired promptly, or later water damage may not be covered. Our guide to homeowners insurance and water damage in Washington explains more.
When to call for tarping
Call as soon as you can see daylight through the roof deck, find water in the attic or on a ceiling after a windstorm, or have a tree or limb removed from the roof and need the opening covered. Tarping is part of our storm and disaster restoration service, and if the storm also flooded the property, see storm and flood cleanup. For businesses, see commercial storm damage restoration.
We tarp roofs across Seattle, Renton, Federal Way, Kent and the rest of King and Pierce County.
Call (206) 203-6155 for emergency roof tarping, 24/7.
