How to Tarp a Roof After Damage: Temporary Protection Done Safely

A tarp keeps rain out of a damaged roof until the permanent repair, but whoever installs it takes on the job’s real hazard, because OSHA counts falls as the number one cause of death in construction. After a storm, have an emergency crew with fall protection put the tarp on or, after a declared disaster, request Operation Blue Roof. A tarp that sheds water has to carry its top edge over the ridge on a pitched roof, which no one can do from a ladder at the eave, and the conditions after a storm are the ones under which falls happen.

The homeowner’s safe job is to decide who goes up, record the damage first, and check the work afterward from the ground. If you are still sorting out what the storm did, start with the storm damage checklist and come back here once you know a tarp is needed.

The Tarp Job, Step by Step

Steps 1, 2, 6 and 7 are yours, done from the ground. Steps 3 to 5 are what the crew does on the roof; knowing them lets you check the work.

1. Choose the crew. Use the checklist in the next section to decide between an emergency tarp crew and Operation Blue Roof.
2. Photograph the damage from the ground before anything covers it.
3. Place the top edge where water from above cannot run under it, which on a pitched roof means carrying the tarp over the ridge.
4. Cover the whole damaged area with margin on every side, flat enough that it does not hold water, with the lower edge draining onto intact roofing or into the gutter.
5. Anchor the edges along their full length, with boards fastened at as few points as the wind allows, and record where every fastener went.
6. Photograph the installed tarp from the same angles as the damage photos.
7. Check it from the ground after every windy day and book the permanent repair.

The sections below explain each step. Steps 3 to 5 happen on the roof, which is why they belong to a crew with fall protection.

Choose Who Puts the Tarp On

Speed is the usual reason people consider doing it themselves. Fall risk is the reason not to. OSHA’s fall prevention campaign reports that in 2024, 389 of 1,034 construction deaths were fatal falls to a lower level, and it warns that workers six feet or more above a lower level are at risk of serious injury or death. Employers must give those workers fall protection. A homeowner on a wet roof has none of it.

Hire the work out, and check these before anyone goes up:

• The storm is over: no wind, rain or lightning, and it is daylight.
• The crew has given you a written price before work starts.
• The crew will use its own fall protection on the roof; roofing safety rules describe what that looks like.
• The crew has checked for overhead and downed lines before setting a ladder; the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ladder and electricity guide puts the nearest line at least twice the ladder’s length away, and ladder setup at the roof edge covers the rest.
• If a tree is on the roof, the house is sagging, or a line is down near the house, the tree, structure and utility steps in what to do when a tree falls on your roof come first.

None of this changes because rain is forecast tonight. If a disaster has been declared and Operation Blue Roof is activated for your area, compare it with a paid crew using the table below.

Photograph the Damage Before It Is Covered

Once a tarp goes on, the damage under it is hidden until the repair. Take the photos first, from the ground, with a zoom lens if you have one. FEMA’s guide on how to document damages after severe weather says to record the damage inside and outside the home before you discard anything, and to keep receipts for repairs and replacement purchases.

A photo sequence that tells the whole story:

1. A wide shot of each side of the house showing the damaged slope.
2. Zoomed shots of the damage itself: missing shingles, torn underlayment, holes, debris.
3. Interior shots of any ceiling stains or water, with the time noted. What to do inside while the roof is leaking covers the indoor steps.
4. The installed tarp from the same angles, after the work is done.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Post-Disaster Claims Guide tells policyholders to “try to prevent further damage by making essential repairs,” and also says not to make permanent repairs before talking with the insurance company. A tarp is the kind of temporary step that guidance describes. Keep every receipt and the crew’s invoice for your claim file, and see the claim timeline from notice to payment for the next steps. Whether your policy repays tarp costs depends on its wording; read the policy’s conditions section and ask your insurer.

What a Tarp Job Needs to Shed Water

Judge a tarp job by the logic it follows rather than by measurements, and ask the crew which standard or guide, if any, its method follows.

Water runs downhill along the roof surface. A tarp that stops partway up the slope lets water from above run underneath it and straight into the opening. For that reason the top edge of a tarp has to sit where water from above cannot get under it, and on a pitched roof that is why crews carry the tarp over the ridge.

The tarp also has to cover the whole damaged area with margin on every side, lie flat enough that it does not hold water, and let its lower edge drain onto intact roofing or into the gutter, never into the hole. Ask the crew to show you, in photos, where the top edge ends and where the water will run off.

Anchoring a Tarp Without Opening New Leaks

Wind is what a temporary cover has to survive. Air that gets under a loose edge lifts the tarp like a sail, and a tarp that flaps can tear itself and damage the shingles around it. Good anchoring holds the edges down along their full length rather than at a few points.

The tradeoff is that every nail or screw driven through the roof is another hole. Crews reduce that by securing the tarp edges with boards fastened at as few points as the wind allows, by keeping fasteners in areas that will be repaired anyway, and by using weight instead of fasteners where the slope permits. Ask the crew to tell you where fasteners went. The roofer doing the permanent repair needs that list so those holes get sealed or the damaged shingles replaced.

Check the tarp from the ground after every windy day. If an edge is loose or the tarp has torn, call the crew back rather than climbing up to fix it. A tarp is a stopgap, and how long one can stay up depends on the material and the weather, so ask the crew how long their material is meant to last outdoors and book the permanent repair as soon as the insurer’s inspection, if you filed a claim, is done.

Operation Blue Roof After a Declared Disaster

Operation Blue Roof is a federal program, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of FEMA, that installs fiber-reinforced sheeting on damaged roofs at no charge. This description and the terms below come from an archived USACE page about Operation Blue Roof captured in April 2023:

• It serves homeowners and permanently occupied rental properties in disaster areas.
• The home must be the primary residence.
• The residence can have no more than 50 percent of the roof framing damaged.
• Contractors cannot cover roofs made of materials such as slate, asbestos or clay tile.
• A Right of Entry form is required.

The program runs only when it is activated for a specific declared disaster, and the terms and sign-up window are set for each activation. Check announcements from FEMA and your county emergency management office after the disaster declaration rather than assuming the program is open.

Hiring an Emergency Tarp Crew

The Federal Trade Commission’s advice on avoiding scams after a weather-related disaster applies directly: hire only contractors who are licensed and insured, do not pay in cash, and pay only after the work is finished and you are satisfied. Get the price in writing before anyone goes up. FEMA’s documentation guide says to consult your insurer before you sign cleanup or maintenance agreements, so make that call before you sign anything beyond the tarp job itself.

Ask the crew lead what fall protection the workers will use; roofing safety rules explains what employers must provide. Door-to-door offers that arrive right after a storm deserve extra checking; see storm chaser warning signs.

Hire a Crew or Wait for Blue Roof?

Hire a licensed, insured crew with a written price, and photograph the damage from the ground before they cover it.

If a disaster has been declared and Blue Roof is activated for your area, and your home meets its terms, sign up and keep the paperwork; if water is coming in while you wait, a crew can protect the house in the meantime. In every case, keep the photo sequence and every receipt together for the insurer.

This guide is general information for U.S. homeowners, not legal, insurance, tax, or engineering advice. Codes, laws, and policy terms vary by location and change over time; confirm details with your local building department, your insurer, or a licensed professional.

Sources

• OSHA’s Fall Prevention Campaign, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Ladders and Electricity Don’t Mix, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• How to Document Damages After Severe Weather Events, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Post-Disaster Claims Guide, National Association of Insurance Commissioners
• About Operation Blue Roof (archived USACE page), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Four ways to avoid scams after a weather-related disaster, Federal Trade Commission