We’re Austin Roofing Company & Water Damage, known as WDR. We’ve been responding to roof emergencies across Central Texas since 2012, drawing on 25+ years of combined roofing experience across the team. We hold GAF Master Elite® certification (top 2% of GAF contractors nationwide), BBB A+ accreditation, and 1,510+ five-star Google reviews, the largest count of any Austin roofing contractor. Our crews are W-2 employees, not day-labor subcontractors, and we’re fully insured with general liability plus workers’ comp. GAF Master Elite® certification means our emergency work carries the same quality standards as our routine work. We operate from 9711 Beck Cir in Austin.
This page covers what counts as a genuine roof emergency (so you know when to call at 3 AM vs schedule for the morning), how our emergency response process works from phone triage through permanent repair, the common emergency scenarios we handle in the Austin metro, the specific coverage areas where we can dispatch fastest, how we handle insurance documentation under time pressure, and what sets our emergency response apart from competitors who advertise emergency service but deliver next-day arrivals.
True emergencies: call immediately
Active water intrusion: water is currently entering your home, dripping from ceilings, running down walls, pooling on floors, or actively damaging your interior. Every hour this continues, damage compounds, and it’s rarely reversible. Structural roof damage: a tree limb has punctured the roof, wind has torn off a significant section of shingles or decking, storm impact has left visible holes or gaps that expose the interior to the weather. Fire or smoke damage requiring immediate temporary cover to prevent water damage from firefighting efforts. Electrical hazard: water contact with electrical fixtures, ceiling fans, or wiring that creates immediate shock or fire risk.
Urgent but not emergency: schedule same-day or next-morning
Missing shingles from a recent storm without active leaks yet: this is a leak waiting to happen but not currently causing damage. Schedule inspection within 24 to 48 hours. Slow drips that appear only during rain: monitor and document, schedule repair within a few days. Visible flashing damage without water intrusion: important to address soon but not immediately.
Not emergencies: schedule during normal hours
Age-related wear you noticed during general inspection. Aesthetic concerns that don’t affect function. Long-term repair planning after previous storm work, when you’re not in a hurry. General maintenance scheduling.
When you’re not sure
When in doubt, call us. Our phone triage takes less than five minutes and helps you determine whether the situation warrants immediate dispatch or can wait for scheduled repair. There’s no charge for the call, and getting it wrong in the direction of caution costs less than delay does.
How We Respond to Roof Emergencies
Every emergency call we handle follows the same four-step process, executed faster than the industry average.
Step 1: Phone triage
When you call (512) 820-6505, whoever answers is trained to assess emergency severity. They’ll confirm the nature of the damage, your address, and what’s currently happening (active water intrusion, structural damage, safety hazard). Based on that assessment, they’ll either dispatch a crew immediately or schedule same-day inspection depending on urgency. Phone triage typically takes three to five minutes.
Step 2: Same-day dispatch and arrival
For confirmed emergencies, we’ll dispatch the closest available crew. Central Austin arrivals typically happen within 2 to 4 hours of the initial call. Hill Country corridor arrivals (Lakeway, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs) are 4 to 6 hours. During major storm events with high call volumes, arrival times may extend, but we’ll prioritize dispatch by damage severity rather than call order.
Step 3: On-site assessment and temporary containment
First priority on arrival is stopping active damage, so that’s where we begin. This usually means temporary tarp installation to prevent further water intrusion. Tarp installation takes 30 to 90 minutes depending on damage scope and roof access. Once the immediate threat is contained, we’ll document the full damage scope with photos and notes.
Step 4: Written estimate and permanent repair scheduling
You’ll receive a written estimate covering the damage found, recommended permanent repair scope, materials, timeline, warranty terms, and insurance handling. Permanent repair typically happens within 1 to 5 days depending on scope and material sourcing. For insurance-covered damage, we’ll coordinate with your adjuster on scope and pricing.
Common Roof Emergency Scenarios We Handle
Some emergency scenarios come up often enough that our crews have specific playbooks for each. Here are the ones we handle most. For non-emergency versions of these repairs, our roof leak repair services cover the scheduled-repair workflow.
Tree impact through the roof
High wind events regularly bring down tree limbs (or entire trees) onto Austin roofs. The immediate response is safety assessment (is anyone hurt, is the structure sound), followed by temporary cover to prevent water intrusion. Structural repair scope depends on whether the impact damaged rafters, trusses, or decking beneath the shingles. Insurance typically covers tree impact damage.
Storm-torn shingle sections
Wind events that exceed shingle rating can tear off sections of shingles ranging from a few tiles to entire slopes. If the underlayment beneath is intact, active leaking may not start immediately, but the situation is still an emergency because the next rain will penetrate. We’ll tarp the affected section and schedule permanent repair within days.
Active leaking during rainstorms
Water actively coming through the ceiling during rain is the classic emergency call. Our response includes safe interior water containment guidance during the phone call itself, on-site diagnosis to find the actual leak source (rarely where the water shows up inside), temporary sealing if weather permits, and permanent repair scheduled after the storm passes.
Post-hail emergency assessment
After hail events, we’ll run emergency inspections even when active leaking isn’t yet present. Hail-damaged shingles fail faster than undamaged shingles, so leaks may appear days or weeks after the storm. Documentation at the time of the storm event supports later insurance claims if leaks develop.
Fire or smoke aftermath cover
Fires create dual damage: the fire itself, and water damage from firefighting. We’ll install emergency temporary cover to protect fire-damaged roof sections from subsequent rain until permanent restoration begins.
Our 24/7 Coverage Areas
We respond across the entire Austin metro and Hill Country during emergencies. Coverage extends from central neighborhoods to the western Hill Country corridor.
Central Austin: Downtown Austin, East Austin, Mueller, Hyde Park, South Congress, Tarrytown, and surrounding neighborhoods within the 78701 to 78703 corridor. Typical arrival: 2 to 3 hours during business hours, 2 to 4 hours after hours.
North Austin: North Loop, Allandale, Northwest Hills, Great Hills, and neighborhoods extending to Round Rock, Pflugerville, and Cedar Park. Typical arrival: 2 to 4 hours.
South Austin: South Austin proper, Zilker, Barton Hills, Circle C, extending to Buda and Kyle. Typical arrival: 2 to 4 hours.
East and Southeast: Del Valle, Manor, and southeast corridor. Typical arrival: 3 to 5 hours.
Western Hill Country: West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Bee Cave, Lakeway, Spicewood, Dripping Springs, and Lakeway. Typical arrival: 4 to 6 hours.
Georgetown, Leander, and Liberty Hill corridor: 4 to 5 hours typical arrival.
During major storm events (widespread hail, high-wind events), call volume can extend arrival times. We prioritize dispatch by damage severity, not call order, so active water intrusion gets first response even when it means adjusting our schedule for calls that came in earlier but aren’t as urgent.
Insurance Documentation Under Time Pressure
Storm-related emergencies create a documentation problem that most roofers handle poorly. The damage you see at 3 AM during a storm isn’t the same damage your insurance adjuster sees at 2 PM the next day. Things shift. Wind redistributes debris. Water finds new paths. Emergency temporary repairs alter the visible damage scope. For the full cost and insurance picture, see our our cost + insurance page which covers deductible math, depreciation handling, and scope negotiation in depth.
Our emergency documentation protocol addresses this in three ways. First, our crews photograph damage extensively before any temporary repair begins. This preserves the pre-tarp damage evidence for the insurance file. Second, we document the temporary repair work itself (tarps installed, sealants applied, areas covered) so adjusters can distinguish original damage from our containment work. Third, we provide timeline evidence linking damage to specific storm events, which supports claim causation.
For insurance-covered emergencies, we coordinate with your adjuster on scope and pricing before permanent repair. This prevents the common scenario where a homeowner authorizes emergency repair, then discovers the insurance carrier disputes the scope after the work is done. On our end, we’ve worked with every major carrier operating in Central Texas and know their specific documentation preferences.
If your emergency wasn’t storm-related and isn’t insurance-covered, we treat pricing transparently: emergency dispatch fee if applicable, hourly rate for on-site assessment, and quoted price for tarp installation, all disclosed before work begins.
What We Do Differently During Major Storm Events
Major weather events (widespread hail, straight-line wind, tornado activity) generate call volumes far above baseline. During these events, our response protocols shift to handle the load. If you’re dealing with Texas hail season roofing damage specifically, hail-triggered emergencies get treated differently than routine leak calls.
Dispatch prioritization by severity. During normal operations, we dispatch roughly first-in-first-out. During major events, we triage by severity: active water intrusion first, structural damage second, missing-shingle-without-leak third. This means someone who called an hour before you may have their scheduled visit pushed back if your emergency is more urgent.
Extended crew hours. During and immediately after major events, we run extended shifts to increase dispatch capacity. Crews that would normally work 8-hour shifts may run 12+ hours during storm response windows.
Realistic timeline communication. When we’re overloaded, we’ll tell you. Rather than promising a 4-hour arrival that becomes 8 hours, we give you our actual current dispatch window and let you decide whether to wait for us or call another contractor. Honest timelines let you make good decisions.
Pre-storm preparation. When major storms are forecast, we’ll position crews and materials for faster response. This helps us hit committed timelines even when call volume spikes.
Get Emergency Dispatch Now
For active roof emergencies, call (512) 820-6505 for immediate dispatch. Our phone line is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by trained dispatchers who can deploy crews. During major storm events, expect longer wait times but we still answer. For non-emergency questions or scheduled inspection, use the estimate request form on this site. For questions about repair scope, cost, and insurance handling that don’t require immediate dispatch, our roof repair FAQs cover the most common homeowner questions in depth.
When you call, be ready to describe: the nature of the damage (active leaking, structural damage, missing shingles, tree impact, etc.), your address, whether anyone is in danger, and whether the situation is currently stable or actively getting worse. This information helps our dispatcher assess urgency and match you with the right crew and response timeline.
If you can safely take photos of the damage before we arrive, do so. Photo evidence helps our crew prepare for the specific scope and supports insurance claim documentation later.