After the storm: a Westchester homeowner's first 24 hours when your roof is damaged

We answer our phone 24/7 — and after a Nor'easter or a summer microburst hits Westchester County, it doesn't stop ringing. The pattern of those calls is always similar, and the homeowners who handle the first 24 hours well end up paying a fraction of what the unlucky ones do. Here's the order of operations we wish every Hartsdale, Scarsdale, and White Plains homeowner had when the storm clears.

Hour 0: Safety first

Before anything else:

• Stay out of any room where water is actively coming through the ceiling. The drywall above you is heavier than it looks when it's saturated, and ceiling collapses are real.
• Cut power to any room with water intrusion at the breaker — water and live electrical fixtures don't mix.
• If a tree has impacted the roof structure (not just shingles), do not go into rooms directly under that impact zone until a structural assessment is done. Call your fire department's non-emergency line if you're unsure.
• If there's gas service in the area of impact and you smell gas, exit the house and call your utility (Con Edison: 1-800-752-6633).

Hours 1–2: Stop the active water intrusion

Active leaks during a storm: place buckets, towels, and plastic sheeting under every drip point. Move furniture out from under stains. If a stain is bulging — meaning water has pooled above the drywall — carefully poke a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge to let it drain into a bucket. This sounds counterintuitive but it prevents a ceiling collapse.

If you can safely get to the attic, identify where water is coming through the deck and place plastic and a bucket directly under the entry point inside the attic. That stops the water from running down rafters and spreading damage.

Hours 2–6: Document everything

This is the single most-skipped step, and it's the one that decides your insurance outcome.

• Take photos of every leak point inside the house — wide shots and close-ups, with time stamps if your phone shows them.
• Photograph any visible exterior damage from ground level — missing shingles, lifted ridges, fallen branches, debris.
• Photograph any tree impact, with the tree still in place if possible (don't remove it yet).
• Save your phone's weather/radar screenshot from the storm if you have one. Date and time-stamp evidence helps insurance.
• Note the start time and approximate severity of the event (you can pull NWS records for your zip code later).

Do not throw anything damaged away yet, even if it looks ruined. Insurance adjusters want to see it.

Hours 4–12: Call a roofer for an emergency tarp

Call before you call your insurance company. Why: you need objective, photo-documented evidence of damage from a qualified roofer to bring to your adjuster, and that's hard to get later. We answer 24/7 at (914) 713-5170. A typical Westchester emergency tarp:

• We arrive within a few hours during business hours, or within 12–24 hours overnight depending on storm volume.
• We secure the damaged area with heavy-duty tarps fastened to sound roof structure (not just thrown over the damage).
• We photograph the damage from on the roof — which your insurance adjuster will want.
• We give you a written initial assessment.

Tarp jobs run $400–$1,800 depending on access, size, and how the damage is shaped. Almost always covered by insurance as part of mitigation.

Hour 12+: Now call your insurance company

With photos and our written initial assessment in hand:

• File the claim by phone with your insurer. Have your policy number, the date/time of the storm, a brief description of damage, and your roofer's information ready.
• Get the claim number. Ask when the adjuster will be assigned and when they'll inspect.
• Ask your insurer about temporary repair coverage and additional living expenses (ALE) if your home is uninhabitable.

A note on timing: do not commit to a contract or sign an Assignment of Benefits (AOB) before your claim is approved at fair value. Reputable Westchester roofers do not ask for either. If a contractor pressures you to sign over your insurance benefits in exchange for free tarping, that's a red flag — we don't and won't.

Hours 24–72: Be present for the adjuster visit

When the adjuster comes:

• Be home. Walk the property with them.
• Have your roofer there too if possible — adjusters and roofers speak the same technical language, and your roofer can advocate for line items the adjuster might miss.
• Make sure they get on the roof. An assessment from the ground misses 70% of storm damage.
• Ask for a copy of their report before they leave the property.

What we provide for your insurance claim

If you hire us for the restoration, we provide:

• Full photo documentation from on the roof
• Written estimate in Xactimate-compatible line-item format (the format adjusters use)
• Coordination with your adjuster during their inspection
• Final job documentation for your records

This is not the same as "filing your claim for you." Filing the claim and negotiating with your insurer is your right and your responsibility. Our job is providing the technical documentation that makes that negotiation fair.

The biggest mistake we see after Westchester storms

Waiting. Specifically, waiting to "see if the leak is real" or "check if it dries up." Roof leaks rarely stop on their own — water finds its way along rafters, into insulation, and behind drywall, where it stays wet for weeks. The leak you saw on day one becomes mold remediation on day thirty and structural rot on day ninety.

Tarp first, document second, file third, fix fourth. In that order. We do all four parts that aren't filing the claim.

We answer 24/7

(914) 713-5170. If you're reading this in the aftermath of a storm and water's coming in, call now. We're Hartsdale-based and we cover all of Westchester County.