Emergency Tarp & Storm Response in Oklahoma City, OK

When a storm rolls through and your roof is open, the next priority is keeping the rest of the house dry until a permanent repair can be scheduled. Midstate runs an emergency tarp crew during major Oklahoma storm events to deploy heavy-duty roof tarps over open decking, blown-off slopes, and tree-impact damage. Tarping is also a documentable line item on your insurance claim — the carrier reimburses the cost of mitigation, which means the tarp is covered.

We work in safe conditions only. If a tornado is still on the ground or the wind is too high to safely walk a roof, the answer is 'first thing in the morning' — not 'right now.' Once it's safe, we tarp, photograph, and start the claim documentation in the same trip.

Every standard Oklahoma homeowners policy has language requiring the policyholder to take "reasonable steps to prevent further damage" after a covered loss. Tarping a hole in your roof is exactly what that clause means — it's mitigation, and the carrier reimburses it. Reasonable mitigation costs that the carrier typically covers: heavy-duty roof tarp installation, board-up of broken windows or compromised exterior openings, debris removal that's blocking interior access, and the labor to install all of it. What's not mitigation: permanent repair, interior reconstruction, contents replacement — those are separate claim line items. Midstate bills the tarp directly into the claim so most homeowners don't pay out of pocket for the emergency response.

Step one: get water out of the way of valuables — move electronics, bedding, and important paperwork. Place buckets or tarps on the floor to catch active drips. Step two: photograph the interior damage before you clean anything up. Adjusters reimburse what they can document; damage you've already remediated without photos is harder to claim. Step three: if you can do it safely from the ground, photograph the exterior — what's visible of the roof, any debris in the yard, condition of gutters and trim. Step four: call us. We'll dispatch the tarp crew if conditions are safe, start the claim documentation in the same trip, and walk you through the claim-filing call to your carrier.

If a tornado is still on the ground, if lightning is active in the area, if winds are above OSHA-allowable levels for elevated work, or if the roof itself is structurally compromised in a way that wouldn't hold a worker — the answer is "first thing in the morning," not "right now." We've turned down emergency calls during active storms and gotten there at first light instead. The reason: a contractor falling off your wet, lightning-active roof is a much worse outcome than another four hours of buckets in your living room. Once conditions are safe, we move fast — same day or next morning, every time.

A heavy-duty roof tarp installed correctly buys you 60–90 days. The path from tarp to permanent repair runs: tarp installed and damage photographed → claim filed with carrier (we walk you through the call) → free HAAG-certified inspection scheduled within a few days → adjuster meeting on the property (Midstate present) → original scope of loss approved → permanent repair or replacement contracted and scheduled → tarp removed during install. Calendar time on a clean claim is typically 2–6 weeks from tarp to permanent repair start; weather backlogs in peak Oklahoma storm season can push that out. The tarp is the bridge; the permanent install is the destination.