When a tree is in the attic or rain is blowing past a broken window, the clock started the moment the storm hit. One call to Water Heater Repairer connects you with an independent storm response contractor around New Orleans Station for tarping, board-up and water mitigation.
After a big storm, every roofer and restoration company in town gets the same flood of calls. Our job is to get you to a contractor who can actually show up.
Every big storm draws storm chasers who disappear once the deposit clears. Calls go to independent, licensed and insured contractors who work here year-round.
When storm calls stack up, we track which contractors still have tarp crews available. Arrival is often within hours, depending on road conditions and how widespread the damage is.
You get a written quote that splits the emergency tarp and board-up from the later rebuild. That split is exactly how most insurers want to see it.
Expect heavy-duty tarps, batten strips, plywood, a chainsaw and a moisture meter on the truck. Getting the house closed in comes before anything else.
Storm water almost never enters where you would guess. Wind-driven rain gets pushed sideways under siding, through soffit vents and around window flashing that holds fine in normal weather. By the time a ceiling stain shows up, the attic insulation above it may already be soaked.
The other problem is timing. When a line of storms rolls through, hundreds of households call at once and the best crews book up by mid-morning. We keep a running picture of which independent contractors still have capacity, so you are not stuck leaving voicemails while rain comes through the ceiling. After the cover-up, drying starts right away and the roofer follows for the permanent work.
From the first tarp to the final drying readings, here is what independent storm contractors handle.
A real storm tarp wraps over the ridge and is screwed down with batten strips instead of held by sandbags. A good one rides out several more storms while you wait for the roofer.
If a tree punches through, the contractor clears the limb and closes the opening with plywood sheathing. Broken windows and doors get boarded the same visit to keep rain and intruders out.
Ice dams form at the eaves and back meltwater up under the shingles, into the wall and down the inside. The contractor steams channels through the dam, then dries the wet wall and ceiling below.
Hail splits skylight lenses and tears the rubber boots that seal vent pipes. Those small openings leak quietly for weeks before a stain shows.
Soaked insulation adds weight until the ceiling drywall bows and can fail. The pro relieves the water, bags the wet insulation and dries the joists and decking.
Once the house is closed in, extraction and drying start on carpet, walls and subfloors. Clogged gutters and short downspouts frequently add a basement leak to the storm damage.
Here is the order things happen once you call.
Tell us what hit the house, where water is coming in and whether power is still on. If a tree is on a line or the ceiling is bowing, we tell you what to do before the crew arrives.
The crew comes ready to tarp and board up, with a generator set well outside the house if the power is out. The first goal is stopping more water from getting in.
The pro photographs every opening and wet area, notes the storm date and writes up emergency and permanent work separately. Nothing past the emergency tarp moves forward until you sign.
Once drying readings reach goal, you get the photo set and moisture logs for your adjuster. If a roofer is needed, the contractor coordinates the handoff so nothing sits open.
Nearly every homeowner policy carries a mitigation clause requiring reasonable steps to stop the damage from spreading. A tarp and board-up done the same day is the clearest proof you did your part.
| Temporary repair | Permanent repair |
|---|---|
| Roof tarp with battens | New decking, underlayment and shingles |
| Window board-up | New glass and frame |
| Extraction and drying | Rebuilt ceiling and walls |
Have an independent storm contractor around New Orleans Station dispatched now.
A big oak branch crashed through our bedroom ceiling around 2 a.m. Every company I called had a voicemail, but the dispatcher got a contractor to us before sunrise. By noon the limb was out, the roof was sheeted and drying equipment was running.
We had water running down the inside of an exterior wall every afternoon in late winter. It turned out to be an ice dam; the pro steamed it off and dried out the wall behind the drywall. They pointed out that poor attic venting was feeding the problem.
After the hailstorm, the insurer wanted dated photos of everything. Before any repair started, the contractor shot the cracked skylight, torn vent boots and soaked insulation. That photo set made the claim straightforward.
Wind blew rain sideways into our rental for six hours, and the tenant called me at midnight. The contractor traced it to a failed window flashing and soffit vents, tarped the gable and dried two bedrooms. I managed the whole thing remotely without making the drive.
Get the house covered first if water is actively coming in, then call your insurer. Policies generally require you to limit further damage, and emergency cover-up is normally part of the covered loss.
Photograph every side of the home, each hole or broken window, and all interior water damage. Write down the storm date and save hail stones or debris if you can.
A tarp fastened with battens over the ridge typically holds for weeks to a few months. It is meant to bridge the gap until the roofer can do the permanent repair, not replace it.
Run it outdoors and far from windows, doors and intake vents, since carbon monoxide builds fast. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet, which can energize lines that line workers are repairing.
A sag means water and wet insulation are sitting on the drywall. Clear the room, set a bucket under the lowest point and let the contractor relieve it safely.
It depends on the damage; some storm contractors handle tarping and drying, then bring in a roofer for the permanent roof. What matters is that someone manages the handoff so the house is never left open.
Storm calls get routed throughout New Orleans Station and nearby suburbs, including 70037 70143. When a storm cell hits one side of town hardest, we route crews from the other side to keep response moving.
Big old trees bring more roof and porch strikes when the wind picks up.
Flat roofs, parapets and shared walls need coordinated tarping across units.
Exposed lots take the brunt of hail and sideways rain.
Do not wait for the whole street to clear before you call. The sooner the roof is closed in, the less insulation, drywall and flooring you lose.
Call +1-877-637-9008