24 Hour Emergency Services in Sarasota and Manatee County

Water is coming in right now. What do you do in the next ten minutes?

Water is coming in right now. What do you do in the next ten minutes? It is a question nobody wants to face at midnight, with a storm still going, a ceiling bulging and a phone in your hand. The first few minutes matter more than most people expect, and most of what helps is simple.

This page is for the moments when something has gone wrong at the house and cannot wait for a regular appointment: a roof opened by wind, a tree on the structure, a pipe that let go, a window or door broken by debris, water pouring through a light fixture. It explains what to do first, what I can do, what I cannot, and how to reach me so your message is read ahead of routine requests.

A quick word on the name of this page. It describes when emergencies happen, which is any hour, not a promise of an arrival time. I will not tell you I can be at your door in an hour during a hurricane when everyone in the area is calling. I will tell you the truth about what is realistic, and I will tell you what you can safely do while you wait. To reach me now, use the contact page and begin your message with the word EMERGENCY.

What counts as an emergency at a house?

An emergency is something that is causing damage right now or creating a risk to people, and that will get worse if it waits. Here is how I sort it, from most to least urgent.

• Risk to people. Downed power lines, a smell of gas, sparking outlets, a ceiling that looks ready to fall, a tree resting on the structure, a floor that has gone soft. Leave the area and call the emergency number or the utility first. I am not the right call for these until they are made safe.
• Water entering the building. A hole in the roof, a failed window, a burst supply line, an overflowing fixture. Each minute adds to the damage.
• An opening that leaves the house exposed. A broken door, a shattered window, a garage door blown in, a missing section of wall. Weather and security are both at stake.
• Damage that will grow if left. A partly lifted section of roof, a cracked limb hanging over the house, a sagging gutter pulling the fascia off.
• Everything else. A stain you noticed this week, a slow drip you have been watching, a door that no longer latches. These deserve prompt attention, but they are routine, and the handyman service page is the better place to start.

If you are not sure which group yours falls into, say what you are seeing and I will help you decide. It costs nothing to ask.

What should you do first, before anyone arrives?

Most of the damage in a house emergency can be limited by the owner in the first hour. These steps are in order of priority, and none requires special tools.

1. Make sure everyone is safe. Move people and pets away from the affected area. Do not stand under a bulging ceiling.
2. Deal with electricity. If water is near outlets, fixtures or appliances, switch off the circuit at the panel if you can reach it without standing in water. If you cannot do so safely, leave it and call the utility or an electrician.
3. Stop the water source if it is a pipe. Find the shut-off valve at the fixture, or the main valve where the line enters the house. It is worth learning where it is before you need it.
4. Contain what you can. Place buckets under drips. If a ceiling is bulging with water, a small hole in the lowest point of the bulge, with a bucket beneath, can release the water in a controlled way instead of letting the whole section drop. Do this only if you can stand clear of the ceiling.
5. Move belongings. Pull furniture, rugs and electronics out of the wet zone. Lift small items onto higher surfaces.
6. Take photos and short videos. Capture the damage before anything is moved, wide shots and close-ups, with the date on your phone. These help the repair conversation and your own records.
7. Contact me. Send an emergency message with your address, what is happening and the best number to reach you.

Please do not climb on a wet roof at night, in wind or in lightning to try to fix something. Many injuries from storm repairs happen on ladders and roofs. Covering a roof opening is work for dry daylight conditions, with fall protection, and often it is safer to wait for conditions to improve while you limit damage from inside.

What can I do for you in an emergency, and what can I not?

I believe in being direct about this, because false hope is the worst thing to offer someone standing in a wet room.

When I cannot come soon, I tell you quickly, so that you can look elsewhere without losing hours. That is better than a vague reply that leaves you waiting.

How do I decide whose message to read first?

When several messages arrive at once, I read for three things, in this order. First, is anyone at risk? Second, is water entering the building at this moment? Third, will waiting a day make it markedly worse?

Messages that give me the information I need get answered faster than ones that do not. Useful details include your address, a one-line description of what happened, whether water is still coming in, whether anyone is hurt or in danger, whether the power is on in the affected area, and a phone number I can reach right now. A photo helps a great deal, because it shows me in seconds what a paragraph might take minutes to describe.

I would rather call you than trade messages when there is real water involved. A short call lets me ask the one or two questions that decide whether this is a tarp job, a board-up, a pipe repair or something else. It also lets me give you advice in real time while I work out when I can reach you.

If the emergency is not at your own home but at a property you manage, a vacant house or a relative's place, say so, and tell me who can give access. Storm damage in an empty house is easy to miss and expensive to ignore.

How does the temporary fix lead to the permanent one?

An emergency repair is a bridge, not a destination. The goal in the first hours is to stop further damage and keep the house secure. The goal in the days after is to find out what happened and do the lasting work.

A tarp keeps the rain out of a roof opening, but it is not a roof. A board over a window secures the room, but it is not glass. A shut-off valve stops a leak, but the wet drywall is still wet. Each temporary step is followed by an assessment: what is damaged, how far does it go, what needs replacing and what can be dried and kept?

Depending on the situation, the lasting work might be roof repair, roof replacement, structural work under construction, or a drying and rebuild process. I explain the options in plain terms, tell you what is urgent and what can wait for better weather, and let you decide at your own pace.

Temporary measures do not last forever. A tarp that is not secured properly can blow off in the next storm, and trapped moisture under a covered area will keep damaging the structure. If you have a temporary covering on your roof, ask me how long it is expected to hold and when to plan the permanent repair.

What mistakes make an emergency worse?

In the stress of the moment, people do things that feel helpful and are not. Knowing the common ones in advance helps you avoid them.

Running the air conditioning or fans on wet materials without thought. Moving air helps dry materials, but running a cooling system with a flooded return or wet ductwork can spread moisture and contamination. If water reached the air handler or ducts, switch the system off and ask before restarting it.

Throwing everything away immediately. Some wet materials can be dried and kept, and some cannot. Before you haul out carpet or cabinets, take photos and, if possible, set aside a sample. Disposal is hard to reverse.

Waiting to see if it dries by itself. In Florida's humidity, wet material that is not dried within a day or two can start growing mold. A room that feels dry on top can be wet underneath. Quick action is far cheaper than remediation later.

Walking through standing water near electricity. Water and live circuits are a deadly combination. If the floor is wet and the panel is in the same room, do not go in. Call the utility.

Using a generator indoors or in a garage. Exhaust contains carbon monoxide, which kills quietly. Generators belong outdoors, well away from windows and doors.

Hiring the first person who knocks on your door after a storm. Storm seasons draw unfamiliar workers to neighborhoods. Ask for a written scope, ask for local references and do not pay large sums in advance. I would rather you took a day to ask questions than rush into a poor arrangement.

Ignoring small damage because the big damage got attention. After a storm, check the whole house, not just the obvious spot. A missing ridge cap or a cracked window seal often goes unnoticed until the next rain.

What happens in the days after the emergency is over?

Once the urgent moment has passed, the quieter work begins. This is when many owners feel unsure, because the emergency is behind them but the house is not yet back to normal.

The first task is a proper assessment. I look at the whole area affected, not only the spot where water came in. I check the roof deck, the insulation, the ceilings, the walls and the floors. I use a moisture meter to find wet areas that are not visible. I look for signs that the damage has spread, such as stained baseboards, soft drywall and a musty smell.

The second task is a plan. Some materials are dried and kept. Some are removed and replaced. Structural damage, such as a rotted rafter or a cracked truss, is dealt with before the finishes are repaired. I describe the plan in plain words, tell you what is urgent and what can wait and give you an order of work that makes sense.

The third task is documentation. Keep the photos you took. Keep receipts for any emergency purchases and any work done. Keep a written note of dates and what was done. If you later need to discuss the event with your insurer or your agent, a clear record saves effort. I will give you photos and notes from my own visits so the record is complete.

The fourth task is prevention. An emergency is often the first time an owner learns where the house is weak. Once the repair is done, it is worth asking: what would have kept this from happening? A better flashing detail, a trimmed tree, a sturdier garage door, a fixed gutter, a new shut-off valve. Often the answer is modest.

The fifth task is rest. Houses can be repaired. People should sleep. If the work is going to take a few days, we set a pace that lets you keep a normal routine as far as possible.

What can you do in advance so that an emergency is less of one?

A little preparation turns a crisis into a manageable event. Most of it takes an afternoon.

• Learn where your main water shut-off, your electrical panel and your gas shut-off (if you have gas) are, and make sure everyone in the house knows.
• Keep a small kit: flashlight, spare batteries, a roll of heavy plastic sheeting, duct tape, a few buckets, work gloves, a phone charger and a battery pack.
• Take dated photos of each room and the exterior while everything is in good shape. They are valuable reference material later.
• Keep records of past repairs, especially roof work, and store copies away from the house or in the cloud.
• Have your policy documents and your agent's contact details somewhere easy to find.
• Trim limbs that overhang the roof before the stormy months begin.
• Have a plan for vacant or seasonal homes: who checks on the house after a storm, and who can approve urgent work in your absence?

A storm mitigation visit before the season starts is a good way to find weak points, and a roof inspection tells you the condition of the roof before the weather tests it.

How do you get in touch for an emergency?

Use the contact page and put EMERGENCY at the start of your message. Add the address, what is happening, whether water is entering, and the number to reach you. Attach photos if you can.

I read emergency messages ahead of routine ones, and I reply as soon as I can with an honest answer about what is possible and when. If I cannot make it to you within a reasonable time, I tell you so quickly. If it is safe to wait until morning, I tell you that too, and give you steps to hold things in place until then.

Nothing about asking for help commits you to anything. We talk first, you hear what is realistic, and you decide. The service areas page shows where I work, which tells you quickly whether you are inside the area, and the about page explains how I handle every job.

Which credentials do I hold?

These are the credentials I hold, listed as issued. They are Florida credentials, listed as facts about me and not as a statement about any other state.

• Florida Roofing Contractor, CCC1327217

Ask me what any of them covers and I will tell you plainly.

Common questions