Tree fell on roof? What to do, step by step

Tree fell on roof: what do I do first?

Get everyone out of the damaged area, stay away from any wires, and do not climb up. Photograph from the ground and call for help.

A tree on the roof is scary, and the first hour matters. The goal is simple: keep people safe, keep more water out, and get a trained roofer to look before anyone pulls anything off.

Here is the order that keeps you safest.

1. Get out of the damaged part of the house

   Move everyone and the pets to a room far from where the tree landed. Weight on a damaged roof can shift. If there is a smell of smoke, a loud crack, or sagging that is getting worse, leave the house and call 911.

2. Look for power lines, from a distance

   Check the yard and the tree for wires. Treat every downed or tangled line as live. Ready.gov warns that downed power lines can electrically charge water, so stay out of standing water too. Call 911 and your electric utility. Do not touch the tree if it is touching a line.

3. If water is coming in, protect the wiring

   Ready.gov says not to touch electrical equipment if it is wet or you are standing in water, and to turn off power at the main breaker only if it is safe to reach. If you cannot reach the panel dry, leave it alone and call for help.

4. Do not climb up, cut, or pull on the tree

   Falls are among the most common causes of serious work injuries, according to OSHA, and a roof with a tree on it is worse than a normal roof. You also cannot see what the tree is holding up. Leave the removal to a tree service and the roof to a roofer.

5. Take photos from the ground and from inside

   Shoot the whole tree, the roof edge, any ceiling stains and any water on the floor. Ready.gov lists photographs as the way to document damage. Put towels and buckets under drips and move belongings away from wet ceilings.

How is a roof fixed after a tree falls on it?

A roofer removes the damaged materials, repairs the deck and framing, then rebuilds the water barrier and roof covering.

Once the tree is off and the area is safe, the repair follows a set order. The size of the damage decides whether it ends as a repair or a full replacement.

1. Inspect from above and below

   The roofer checks the covering, then the deck, then the attic side for cracked framing and wet insulation. Coastline sends a written photo report so you can see what we saw.

2. Clear the damaged material

   Broken shingles, tile and torn underlayment come off back to sound material. Soaked or crushed decking is cut out.

3. Repair the deck and framing

   New deck sections are fastened to solid framing. If a rafter or truss is cracked, it needs to be repaired or replaced first, sometimes with an engineer's help. See roof deck damage after a storm.

4. Rebuild the water barrier

   Underlayment goes over the deck before the covering. On tile roofs, the TRI Alliance brief that FRSA reprints says a qualified roofer should inspect the underlayment before tile repairs, and that new or harvested tile should not go over compromised underlayment.

5. Put the roof covering back

   The roof covering is matched as closely as possible and sealed into the surrounding roof. On tile, our tile roof cracking guide explains repair versus replace.

Small damage on a young roof is usually a repair. Large damage, an old roof or a roof that was already near the end of its life can tip toward replacement. Our roof repair and roof replacement pages show how we think about it, and the roof repair cost guide explains what sets the price. Florida's 25 percent rule can also come into play on older roofs. We explain it in Florida's 25% roof rule.