My Roof Is Leaking After a Windstorm — What Should I Do First?

First: stay off the roof and out of any room with active dripping or a sagging ceiling. Once it’s safe, contain the interior water, photograph everything before you touch or clean anything, and get a temporary tarp on the roof the same day if possible — then call your insurer and a roofer. In Issaquah’s climate, a delayed leak gets expensive fast.

Step 1: Safety before anything else

Do not go on the roof while wind or rain is still active, and don’t assume a wet roof is safe to walk once conditions clear — storm damage can loosen shingles or weaken decking in ways that aren’t visible from a quick look, and a wet surface is far more dangerous underfoot than a dry one. Inside, stay clear of any ceiling area showing sag, bubbling paint, or active dripping; a sagging ceiling can indicate water pooling above it and a real risk of collapse.

Step 2: Contain the water indoors

Move anything valuable out of the water’s path, and set a bucket, tarp, or towels under the leak to limit damage to flooring and furniture while you handle the next steps. If the leak is coming through a light fixture or near any electrical outlet, shut off power to that circuit before doing anything else in the area.

Step 3: Photograph before you clean up anything

Before any cleanup, temporary repair, or tarping, take photos — wide shots of the full roof from all four sides, close-ups of visible damage, and interior shots of the leak and any water staining. This documentation is what your insurance adjuster will need to confirm the damage is storm-caused, and it’s much harder to reconstruct after the mess is cleaned up or a tarp is already covering the damage. If you want the full breakdown of what to capture and in what order, see our guide on what to photograph before an adjuster visits.

Step 4: Arrange a temporary tarp

A properly placed tarp prevents further water intrusion while you wait for a permanent repair, and most insurance policies expect this kind of reasonable damage mitigation as part of your responsibility after a covered loss. This is a job for a professional, not a DIY ladder trip in storm aftermath — an improperly placed tarp can trap water in a new location or fail in the next round of wind.

Step 5: Call your insurer, then schedule an inspection

Open your claim promptly with your insurance company, referencing the storm event and the date the leak appeared. Washington homeowners insurance generally covers sudden, storm-caused damage like a wind-lifted shingle or a tree limb impact — a different category from gradual wear like long-term moss growth, which is typically not covered. If you’re unsure which category your situation falls into, our guide on telling storm damage from pre-existing wear walks through the distinction adjusters actually look for.

Why speed matters more here than in a drier climate

Issaquah sees 60-65 inches of rain a year, with November alone averaging roughly 9.3 inches across 23 rainy days. A leak that seems minor when it starts can saturate insulation and drywall within days if rain continues — which is the normal pattern during storm season here, not an edge case. The gap between “we’ll get to it next week” and “the ceiling needs to be replaced, not just patched” is often just a few more days of continuous rain.

Bottom line

Get people and belongings safe, contain the water, document everything before cleanup, get a temporary tarp on the same day if you can, and open your insurance claim promptly — then get a professional inspection scheduled before the next storm system moves through. Call (425) 642-1901 for emergency tarping and a same-window inspection; we can usually get someone out fast when a windstorm has just come through the area.