What the First Visit Covers
The first visit has a clear order. We make sure the roof is safe to walk, find where water is entering, and protect the interior, which may mean tarping a ceiling or moving stock before we go up. On the roof we clear blocked drains and scuppers, cut out and dry the worst of the damage where that is quick, and cover or seal the opening so water stops entering the building. A medical building near Huntington Hospital gets different priorities than a warehouse, because patient areas and equipment rooms come first.
We photograph the damage before we touch it and again once the dry-in is complete, with time stamps and a sketch of the roof showing the affected area. That record is useful the same day, because insurers, tenants and general contractors all ask for it. When the loss involves a claim, those photographs become the documented scope of a roof insurance claim, so the emergency work and the permanent repair are described together.
Santa Ana Wind and Ember Damage
Santa Ana wind is the storm that tests a Pasadena roof hardest. Forecasts ahead of the January 2025 Eaton Fire called for Santa Ana winds of 30 to 50 mph, widespread gusts of 60 to 80 mph and isolated gusts of 80 to 100 mph. Wind like that peels edge metal, lifts loosely attached membrane and throws debris and embers onto roofs. The fire began January 7, 2025 near Altadena and Pasadena, burned 14,021 acres and was fully contained January 31.
After fire or wind, an emergency visit looks at more than the hole. We check the roof edges, flashing and rooftop units for lifted metal and heat damage, look for burn marks that may hide beneath a surface layer, and secure what is loose. In Altadena, where the fire destroyed shops and service businesses in the downtown business district, a fire-hit property gets dry-in first and then fire damage roof repair and rebuilt detail work once the property is safe to enter.
Dry-In Methods by Roof Type
The right emergency method depends on what the roof is made of. Single-ply membranes can often be patched with a temporary adhered sheet or a sealed patch while we wait for dry conditions. Built-up and modified bitumen roofs may take a cold-applied repair or a reinforced mastic patch. Metal roofs need sealed laps and replaced fasteners, and a damaged panel may require a temporary cover over the whole sheet.
Wind damage often needs a different approach than storm leaks. When a section of membrane has pulled loose, we secure it back down or cut it out and cap the area. For roofs hit by a falling limb, equipment failure or vandalism, we stabilize the area and plan a permanent wind damage roof repair or panel replacement. A rooftop unit that has shifted or fallen can cut a whole run of membrane, and we shut off the opening first and sort out the equipment afterward.
After the Emergency: Records and Permanent Repair
An emergency repair is a pause, not a finish. Once the building is dry, we walk it again in daylight and write up what we found: the cause of the failure, the extent of wet insulation, the condition of the surrounding roof, and what the permanent repair requires. Where a hidden problem is suspected, we can follow with a commercial roof leak repair to trace and close every entry point.
Larger events call for a wider look. For widespread wind or fire damage, we survey the whole roof, document each loss and plan the rebuild together, because storm damage seldom stops at one opening. Owners often ask whether a temporary fix will hold until the next budget cycle. We tell them plainly how long a given dry-in is likely to hold and what the plan should be when it stops.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Do you really answer calls at night, on weekends and on holidays?
Yes. Emergency response runs around the clock all week, holidays included, because a roof does not fail on a schedule. Call the line, tell us where the water is coming in and what the building houses, and we will dispatch a crew. We will also tell you what to do inside the building while the crew is on the way.
What happens if the leak is over equipment or inventory?
Protect the contents first, then the roof. Move what you can, cover the rest with plastic, and tell us what is below the opening so we can prioritize it. Our crew will stop the water above the sensitive area first, even if that means a temporary cover over a larger part of the roof than the hole alone would require.
How long will a temporary repair hold?
A well-built dry-in can hold through a rainy season on a sound roof, while one on a heavily damaged or wet roof may need to be replaced sooner. Weather, roof type and the extent of damage settle which case you are in. We tell you plainly what to expect, and we schedule the permanent repair while the emergency work is still protecting the building.
Will the emergency work be covered by insurance?
Coverage depends on your policy and the cause of the loss, and we cannot decide that for you. What we can do is document the damage thoroughly, keep the receipts and photographs for the emergency work, and describe the cause and extent in plain terms. Reasonable temporary repairs are usually something an insurer expects you to make, so keep records of what was done.
Do I need a permit for emergency repairs?
Emergency dry-in work is generally treated differently from a permanent reroof, but permanent repairs may need approval depending on their scope. Pasadena's permit center lists the 2025 California codes as enforced for applications filed on or after January 1, 2026. We tell you early if a permanent repair triggers the permit process, so it does not slow the work.
