Active roof leak? The first hour, step by step

Inside first. Always.

Put a bucket under the drip and move furniture, electronics, and anything valuable out of the wet zone. If the ceiling is bulging with trapped water, poke one small hole in the center of the bulge with a screwdriver and let it drain into the bucket — it feels wrong, but a controlled drain prevents a whole-ceiling collapse.

If water is anywhere near outlets, light fixtures, or your electrical panel, turn off power to that circuit at the breaker before touching anything else.

The attic — only if it's safe

If your attic has stairs or a pull-down ladder, go up with a flashlight: push wet insulation away from light fixtures and lay plastic sheeting or a tarp between rafters to catch water before it reaches the drywall. A flashlight from the attic tells you more than a risky climb outside ever will.

What you should never do

Do not get on the roof. Not in rain, not in wind, not on a wet surface, not at night. Wet shingles are a slide, and roof work during a storm is how emergencies become tragedies. Tarping a roof safely requires harnesses, boards, and dry conditions — that's the crew's job, usually within hours.

And don't wait to act: wet building materials have roughly a 24–48 hour window before mold starts colonizing. Wet attic insulation can hold water for weeks, which is why same-day response matters more than same-week.

Document everything for insurance

Photograph four things: the leak itself, damaged belongings, structural damage, and every mitigation step you took. Keep receipts for tarps, buckets, and plastic — insurers commonly reimburse emergency mitigation costs. Note when the storm hit, when the leak started, and who you called.