Roof Leaking When It Rains? What to Do Right Now

Look up before you walk in. If the ceiling is sagging, bubbling or cracking, move everyone and any pets out of the room. Drywall holding water can drop without much warning, so do not stand under it to push on it.

Check where the water is landing. If it is dripping from or near a light fixture, ceiling fan, smoke alarm or outlet, keep away from it. Switch off that circuit at the breaker panel only if you can stand on a dry floor to do it. If anything sparks, buzzes, smokes or smells hot, leave the room and call 911.

Then slow the damage. Put buckets, pots or a storage bin under each drip, lay towels around them, and move furniture, rugs, electronics and boxes out of the way. In the attic, if you can get there safely on the framing, a bucket or a sheet of plastic under the drip can keep water off the ceiling below.

Before you mop up or throw anything out, take dated photos and short videos of the wet ceiling, walls, floors and damaged belongings. From the ground, photograph the roof, missing shingles, fallen branches and any debris in the yard. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says to document all losses before cleanup and to save damaged items so the insurer can inspect them.

Call your insurance agent or the company's claim line, give your policy number, and ask what they need from you. Ask whether the damage is covered, what your deductible is, and whether they want to see estimates before work begins. The Insurance Information Institute suggests keeping notes of every call and the names of the people you speak with.

Insurers call it mitigation: taking reasonable steps to stop more damage. The NAIC gives covering a hole in the roof as an example of a temporary repair, and says insurance will typically reimburse the cost when the loss itself is covered. Keep every receipt for tarps, emergency crews and drying equipment.

Tarping is a job for a roofer, not for you on a ladder in the rain. A crew can cover the damaged area with a heavy tarp fastened over the ridge, or patch lifted flashing around a chimney or vent, until a permanent repair can be scheduled. The NAIC advises against making permanent repairs before you have talked with your insurer, because the company may not pay for work it did not authorize.

Most rain leaks start at a weak point rather than in the middle of the shingles. Common spots are the flashing around brick chimneys, plumbing vent boots whose rubber collars have cracked, valleys where two roof slopes meet, skylights, and shingles lifted or torn off by wind. Leaves packed in gutters and valleys in the fall can also back water up under the roof edge.

Many houses in Indiana, Blairsville, Homer City, Greensburg, Latrobe, Jeannette and Mt Pleasant are decades old, with brick chimneys and roofs that have been patched over the years. Strong storms across western Pennsylvania also bring down trees and limbs. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office warned of contractor scams after storms that felled trees, damaged buildings and knocked out power around Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.

If the leak only appears in wind-driven rain from one direction, or only after a heavy downpour, tell the roofer. That pattern helps them look at the right flashing, vent or wall joint first.

Storms bring door-to-door crews. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department warns that fraudulent contractors move into areas hit by severe weather, push for immediate repairs or promise to maximize your insurance payout, and may do poor work or leave with the money. It says home improvement contractors who do more than $5,000 of work a year in Pennsylvania must register with the Attorney General, and that you should ask for the contractor's HIC number and verify it.

You can check a registration on the Attorney General's online HIC search site. The Attorney General's office adds that a home improvement contract must be in writing with the required disclosures, that a deposit generally cannot be more than one-third of the price plus special-order materials, and that you can usually cancel within three business days, with exceptions for emergency situations. Never pay in full or sign a completion form before the work is actually done.

Once the water stops, wet drywall, ceiling insulation and wood framing can stay damp for days. The EPA recommends drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold growth.

If more than a small spot got wet, or insulation in the attic is soaked, a water damage restoration provider can measure moisture, set up drying equipment and tell you what can be saved. Ask for a written scope that keeps the drying work separate from the roof repair and any rebuilding, so each can go to the insurer clearly.