When you are going to be repairing leaking roof you have the choice of doing it yourself or calling the pros. If it is during a Virginia (VA) storm, do what you can to prevent further damage, but the rest needs to wait till after the skies clear.
Are you afraid of heights? No problem with heights would be the first requirement for fixing it yourself. It’s possible to fix some things from the inside, even temporarily, but you really need to get up on the roof to fix the roof.
Are you a roofer? If not, then there is a lot to learn. Of course, if it is in the middle of a storm, there are some things you can do until you get a roofer to your house. Best choice, however, is to have a professional do the roof repair because there are a lot of tools that would be handy to have to do the job.
So until the pros arrive, grab those buckets and put them under the leak. Clear away items from the leak area. Electronic items should be moved out of the leak zone for damage prevention and because you wouldn’t want a plugged in live electrical item running current into a wet area. You could get shocked or you could blow a fuse or trip a breaker in your electrical box. If the storm looks to continue for a while, and the flow of the leak is major, the ceiling could get wet enough to fall down.
Now that the damage has been minimized, get up to the attic to find that leak! Follow the wet spot, and it rarely starts directly above the inside wet spot. When you are repairing leaking roof keep your financial damage to a minimum by preventative measures inside the house.
