Emergency Board-Up and Roof Tarping in San Antonio

A fire or a bad storm can leave a house open to the weather. Hail breaks a window, wind tears off part of the roof, or the fire department breaks glass and cuts into the roof to fight a fire. The U.S. Fire Administration's After the Fire guide says firefighters may have broken windows and cut holes in the roof to slow the fire and clear the smoke. Those openings are still there once the trucks leave.

Emergency board-up and roof tarping close them up for now. There are three reasons to do it quickly:

• Weather. The next rain comes in through the same hole and soaks drywall, insulation and floors that might have been saved.
• Security. An open window or door is an invitation. USFA notes that in some cases you may need to board up windows and doors so no one can get in.
• Your claim. Insurers expect homeowners to protect the property from further damage, as the Texas Department of Insurance explains below.

Board-up and tarping at Texas Damage Response is temporary protection. We cover:

• Broken or blown-out windows, with plywood over the opening
• Damaged exterior doors and door frames
• Holes in exterior walls from a fire, falling limbs or wind
• Roof damage from a storm or a fire, including vent holes cut by firefighters, with a tarp over the damaged area

We don't do roofing, roof repair, window replacement or glass work. A tarp slows the water down and a sheet of plywood keeps people out, but neither one is a repair, and neither can promise that no rain or intruder ever gets past it. A roofer repairs the roof, and a glass company or contractor replaces the windows. Covering the house buys time for that to happen without the inside getting worse.

Don't go back into a burned house until the fire department says it's safe. That's straight from USFA, which also warns that floors and walls may not be as safe as they look. Once the house is released, board-up is usually the first thing on a fire job, before the fire damage cleanup starts.

USFA also suggests calling your police department to let them know the home will be empty, and asking your insurance company what you should do to keep the home safe until it's repaired. If you'll be staying somewhere else for a while, a boarded house and a heads-up to the police both help.

A wet, hail-damaged roof is a bad place for anyone without the right gear. NIOSH reports that falls are the leading cause of construction worker deaths on the job, and those are people who climb roofs for a living. Leave the ladder in the garage. From the ground or from inside, you can take pictures of the damage, put buckets under drips and move belongings away from wet spots.

Then call us. We tarp the roof damage, board up any broken windows or doors, and start on the water that already came in. Our storm damage restoration page covers that interior work, from wet attic insulation to soaked ceilings and floors.

The Texas Department of Insurance tells homeowners after hail or windstorms to prevent more damage and to cover broken windows and holes to keep rain out. After a fire, TDI's wildfire claim tips say the same thing in other words: take steps to secure your home and prevent more damage, and make only temporary repairs. TDI's advice for both:

• Take pictures and video of the damage before anything is covered or moved.
• Save all receipts. TDI notes your policy may pay for temporary repairs, and your carrier is the one who decides.
• Don't throw anything away until your insurance company tells you to.

We help document the damage and work with your insurance carrier throughout the restoration process. Your carrier decides what's covered, and the deductible is yours to pay. We don't interpret policies or act as an adjuster. Our insurance claims page explains how documentation works with us.

Board-up and tarping start the job. With the openings covered, we move inside. Water from the storm or from firefighting hoses comes out first, and our water damage restoration crew dries the structure with moisture readings. The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, so the drying doesn't wait for the roofer. On a fire job, fire damage restoration handles the soot, smoke and odor, and contents pack-out can wrap, inventory and store your belongings while the work goes on.

When the roof and windows are repaired, the boards and tarps come off and we rebuild. We rebuild the projects we restore, so the drywall, insulation, paint and flooring that had to come out go back in through our reconstruction team. We're an IICRC-certified, veteran-owned and family-operated company based in San Antonio, and our emergency restoration line is open 24/7.