When a storm tears tabs off your roof, punches a hole through decking, or drops a tree limb through the attic, the next 24 hours decide whether you have a roof repair or a roof-plus-interior-rebuild. A properly installed emergency tarp stops water intrusion, prevents secondary damage, and protects the value of any insurance claim that follows. A poorly installed tarp, or a delay of even one heavy rain, can multiply the claim value by 5x with interior drywall, flooring, insulation, and personal property damage that was entirely preventable.
- How fast can you tarp?
- Inside 24 hours on most Houston storm calls, often inside 6 hours during active storm response. After a named storm event, target window extends to 48 to 72 hours.
- What does a tarp cost?
- $300 to $1,200 depending on size, pitch, and access. Almost always covered by insurance as part of the loss mitigation scope under your homeowners policy.
- Does insurance pay for it?
- Yes. Emergency mitigation (tarping, board-up) is required under most policies and is paid separately from the deductible-applied repair scope.
- How long does a tarp last?
- 30 to 90 days on a properly installed tarp. Long enough to complete the claim process and schedule the permanent repair.
01 // The first hour: stop water inside the house
Before anyone gets on the roof, contain the damage inside. Move furniture and rugs out of any room with active leaking. Get tarps or plastic sheeting over electronics and irreplaceable items. Position 5-gallon buckets under active drips. If water is pooling on a ceiling, poke a small hole in the lowest point with a screwdriver and drain it into a bucket; this prevents the ceiling from collapsing under accumulated weight. Photograph everything before you move it; documentation matters for the personal property portion of the claim.
02 // Shut off electricity to affected rooms
Water-soaked ceilings and walls are a fire hazard. If a room has visible water damage near light fixtures, ceiling fans, or outlets, shut off the breaker for that room at the main panel. Do not run electronics in any room with active leaking until the leak is stopped and the wiring is dry.
03 // Call a local contractor, not a 1-800 number
Storm-chaser companies advertise heavily on Google after named storms. Many are out-of-state operations that show up to tarp roofs, charge inflated emergency rates, and disappear before the permanent repair. The contractor that tarps your roof should be the contractor that repairs it. Call a local company with a permanent Houston address (see our contractor selection guide). Invictus emergency tarp dispatch: visit our contact page for the 24-hour line.
04 // Call insurance in parallel, not first
Open the claim with your carrier within 24 hours of the damage, but do not wait for the carrier before tarping. Most policies explicitly require the homeowner to "mitigate further damage" as a condition of coverage; that means you are obligated to tarp first and bill the carrier for the emergency mitigation as part of the claim. Carriers reimburse mitigation costs separately from the deductible-applied repair scope.
05 // What a proper Houston emergency tarp costs
A standard residential tarp job in Houston runs $300 to $1,200 depending on size, pitch, and difficulty of access. The job includes a heavy-duty blue or silver poly tarp sized to fully cover the damaged area with 4 to 6 feet of overlap on every side, furring strips screwed through the tarp into sound decking around the perimeter, sealed edges to prevent wind uplift, and photo documentation for the insurance claim. Steep pitches over 8/12, two-story access, and night dispatch add 25 to 50 percent.
06 // What to avoid in the first 72 hours
Avoid: signing any "contingent on insurance" contract from a contractor you did not vet. Avoid: door-knocker companies offering to "cover your deductible" (Texas Insurance Code §707.002 violation). Avoid: any contractor who wants a large cash deposit before tarping. Avoid: home-depot blue tarps installed with bricks or ropes; they last 3 to 7 days and the carrier will not reimburse the cost or repeat the work. Avoid: cutting deeper into the damage to "see what's underneath" before the adjuster documents the original scope.
07 // From tarp to permanent repair
The tarp buys you the 30 to 90 days needed to complete the insurance claim process (see our Texas claim process walkthrough). Once the scope is approved and funds are flowing, the same contractor pulls the tarp, completes the permanent repair, and bills both the mitigation cost and the repair cost on a single claim. This continuity is the reason to use one local contractor from emergency response through final repair rather than splitting the work between a storm-chaser and a permanent contractor later.
