Storm-Damaged Roof After an Atmospheric River: What to Do First

What happened in December 2025, and why does it matter for roofs?

In early December 2025 the Skagit set a record at Concrete, according to news reports, and crested at roughly 37.7 to 38 feet at Mount Vernon, where the floodwall and dikes held. Burlington's slough overtopped and about 1,000 people evacuated, Hamilton took water in the floodway, and the Nooksack flooded Deming. The same storm brought wind and long rain.

Flooding is not a roofing problem, and this guide does not treat it as one. But atmospheric rivers arrive with strong wind, saturated ground and days of rain, and those are roofing problems. Shingles lift, limbs fall, shallow-rooted trees go over and storm-opened roofs let water into houses that the river never touched.

The lesson for owners is that two separate events may have happened at once: the flood, which is a ground-level problem, and the storm, which is a roof problem. Keep them separate in your photographs and your notes. Your insurer will want to know which damage came from which cause.

What are the first things to do, in order?

Get everyone out from under damaged ceilings, stay off the roof, and keep clear of any wire. Photograph the damage from the ground and inside. Contain water with buckets and sheeting. Call a roofer, report the loss to your insurer and start a folder for photos, receipts and notes. Do these in this order.

The temptation after a storm is to climb up and look. Do not. Wind-loosened shingles, wet surfaces and weakened decking all give way without warning, and roof falls are a leading cause of injury after storms. Binoculars from the yard and a flashlight from the attic hatch show most of what you need.

If a limb or tree is touching a power line, treat the line as live. Call your electric utility or 911 before you do anything else. Do not try to move a limb that is resting on the roof, because it may be holding a gap closed or carrying a wire.

• Check that everyone is safe and out of rooms with damaged or sagging ceilings.
• Photograph the roof, the yard, any fallen trees and the interior damage, with the date.
• Catch water with buckets, move belongings and cover what cannot move with plastic sheeting.
• Call a roofer and describe exactly where you are and what you see.
• Call your insurer or agent and ask what they need and whether temporary repairs are covered.
• Start a folder: photos, receipts, names, times and a note of every call.

Who do you call, and in what order?

Call 911 or your electric utility for anything involving injury, fire or a wire. Call a tree service for a tree on the house, a roofer for the roof and your insurer to open a claim. The order depends on the hazard first, then the weather, then paperwork. A roofer may coordinate with the tree service.

Concrete Roofing answers phones 24/7 and connects you with an independent local roofer. The line cannot promise a time, and after a regional storm many people are calling at once. In a rural valley, the wait is longer for houses far from the lowland towns, and road conditions can add to it. Give the town and the nearest road, say how much water is coming in and tell them if a tree is involved.

For a tree on the roof, the usual sequence is the tree service first, then the roofer. The pages on fallen tree roof damage and emergency roof tarping explain how the two trades work together.

What should you photograph for a claim?

The whole house and roof from several angles, each damaged area in close-up, interior stains and wet insulation, any fallen tree where it lies, gutters and fascia, and the surrounding yard. Date every image and add a short written timeline. Take them before anything is moved, covered or repaired.

Good documentation answers four questions: what was damaged, how badly, when it happened and what was done about it afterward. Photos from the ground and from inside cover the first two, a timeline covers the third and receipts cover the fourth. Keep everything in one folder, on paper or on a phone with a backup.

Take a wide shot before each close-up, so a viewer can tell where the damage sits on the house. If a roofer inspects, ask for their photographs and a written description to add to your file. Do not discard damaged materials until the insurer has said it does not need to see them.

Should you tarp the roof, and who should do it?

A tarp is worth having if the roof is open and more rain is coming, but it should be fastened by a roofer. A loose tarp can blow off, tear more shingles and let in more water, and climbing a wet roof is dangerous. If no roofer is available yet, make the inside safe and keep calling.

A well-installed tarp runs over the ridge so rain cannot get under it, and is fixed to solid framing with battens rather than nailed through the shingles at random. It can hold for weeks. It is a bridge to the lasting repair, not a substitute.

Some insurers expect owners to prevent further damage and to keep receipts for reasonable temporary repairs. Ask yours. Photograph the damage before the tarp goes on, because the tarp will cover the evidence.

How do you avoid trouble with contractors after a storm?

Be cautious with anyone who knocks on your door, asks for a large payment first, pressures you to sign at once, offers to handle your claim or promises that the insurer will pay. Verify registration on the L&I page, get the scope in writing and compare at least two quotes before agreeing to permanent work.

Storms bring out good contractors and bad ones. Crews arrive from outside the area, and some are excellent. The difference is how they behave: a good one inspects, explains, writes it down and lets you think, and a bad one hurries you. A rural valley with a recent disaster is a place where hurry is easy to mistake for helpfulness.

Do not sign an assignment of benefits or a contract that gives a contractor control of your claim without reading it and, if unsure, asking your insurer or an attorney. Never agree to waive or pay your deductible in a way your policy does not allow. A temporary tarp is reasonable to authorize quickly. A new roof is not.

How does the insurance claim work, and what can nobody promise?

You report the loss, the insurer opens a claim and an adjuster looks at the damage. Coverage depends on your policy and the cause of the loss, and the insurer decides. A roofer can document and quote repairs, but neither the roofer nor this site can promise coverage, an amount or a timeline.

Read your policy or ask your agent what is covered, what your deductible is and whether temporary repairs and tree removal are included. Flood and wind losses are often treated separately, so describe each accurately. Keep every document and write down who you spoke to, and when.

Be careful with anyone who offers to take over your claim, asks you to sign an assignment, or says the insurer will pay for everything. The page on storm claim roof help lists the cautions. Check any roofer on the Department of Labor & Industries verification page before signing, as the registration guide explains.

What happens after the temporary fix?

The roofer inspects the whole roof, writes up the damage, and quotes the lasting repair. You compare that with the adjuster's scope, agree what is needed and schedule the work for the next dry window. Expect delays after a large storm, when crews and materials are in demand across several counties.

Ask the roofer what the repair depends on: dry weather, material delivery, the adjuster's visit or a permit. Ask how long a tarp should hold and when it will be checked. If conditions allow, a lasting repair done in a gap between storms is better than leaving a tarp through a whole winter.

A permit may or may not be needed, depending on the county or city that covers your address. Ask the local building department, using the questions in the permit guide.