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 Santa Fe for tarping, board-up and water mitigation.
The morning after a bad storm, the whole street is calling the same handful of companies. Our job is to get you to a contractor who can actually show up.
Storms bring out door-knockers with out-of-area plates and no local paperwork. 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. Response depends on downed lines, blocked roads and how many homes were hit.
The contractor separates emergency work like tarping and board-up from the permanent repair on paper. Adjusters generally expect to see it broken out that way.
Storm crews arrive with reinforced roof tarps, furring strips, plywood, chainsaws and moisture meters. Getting the house closed in comes before anything else.
Storm water is sneaky because it rarely comes in where you expect. 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. After a squall line passes, half the neighborhood is dialing at once and good crews fill their schedule before lunch. We track which independent contractors still have room that day, so you are not leaving message after message while the ceiling drips. Once the house is closed in, drying can start right away, and the roofer comes in for the permanent fix.
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. Shattered windows and slider doors are boarded on the same trip.
Ice dams form at the eaves and back meltwater up under the shingles, into the wall and down the inside. Pros steam a channel through the ice and then dry out the walls and ceilings it soaked.
Hail cracks skylight domes and splits the rubber vent boots around plumbing stacks. Those little breaks can drip into the attic for weeks before anyone notices.
Wet blown insulation gets heavy and pushes ceiling drywall into a sag that can come down. The pro relieves the water, bags the wet insulation and dries the joists and decking.
With the envelope sealed, the crew extracts standing water and sets up dehumidifiers and air movers. 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 line is down or the ceiling is sagging, we walk you through safety steps first.
The contractor arrives ready to tarp, board up and run equipment off a properly placed generator if the grid is down. 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. When a roofer takes over the permanent repair, the handoff is coordinated so the tarp stays until the new roof is on.
Most homeowner policies include a duty to mitigate, meaning you have to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. A tarp and board-up done the same day is the clearest proof you did your part.
| Temporary repair | Permanent repair |
|---|---|
| Battened roof tarp | Re-sheathed and reshingled roof section |
| Plywood board-up | New glass and frame |
| Water removal and drying | New drywall, insulation and paint |
Get a storm crew near Santa Fe headed your way tonight.
An oak limb came through the bedroom ceiling at two in the morning. Every number I tried went to voicemail; this line had a contractor in the driveway by dawn. They cut the limb out, sheeted the hole and had dehumidifiers running by noon.
Every sunny afternoon in February, water dripped down the inside of our front wall. The contractor found an ice dam at the eave, steamed it out and dried the wall cavity. They pointed out that poor attic venting was feeding the problem.
Our insurance company asked for dated photos of all the hail damage. The contractor photographed the cracked skylight, the split vent boots and the wet insulation before touching anything. That photo set made the claim straightforward.
Sideways rain hit my rental property for hours and the tenant called me late that night. The contractor traced it to a failed window flashing and soffit vents, tarped the gable and dried two bedrooms. I was handling it from two hours away and never had to drive over.
If rain is still entering, get it tarped first and report the claim right after. 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. Note the storm date, and keep any hail or debris you collected.
A tarp fastened with battens over the ridge typically holds for weeks to a few months. It covers the wait for a roofer; it is not a substitute for the real repair.
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.
Many storm contractors tarp and dry, then coordinate with a roofer for the final roof work. What matters is that someone manages the handoff so the house is never left open.
Storm calls get routed throughout Santa Fe and nearby suburbs, including 87505 87507 87501 87502 87503 87509. When a storm cell hits one side of town hardest, we route crews from the other side to keep response moving.
Mature trees mean more limb strikes on roofs and porches during high winds.
Flat roofs, parapets and shared walls need coordinated tarping across units.
Exposed lots take the brunt of hail and sideways rain.
Calling early matters, because the line gets longer every hour after a storm. Every hour the house stays open adds more wet insulation, drywall and flooring to the list.
Call +1-877-637-9008