Even in the desert, being prepared to make emergency roof repairs should be part of your plan for bad weather or other disasters. By having some knowledge and a basic kit available, you can quickly and effectively make temporary repairs to your roof without having to go to the store, keeping you and your family safe and dry in a storm. These tips will help keep you out of the weather:

• Do you have something to catch leaking water? One common item used are 2-5 gallon buckets. You can pick these up at your local home improvement store, or ask at restaurants, delis and bakeries to see if they have empty buckets that they would otherwise throw away.
• Tarps are priceless when you're dealing with an emergency roof repair. You'll want a larger, higher-quality one to cover a hole in your roof, while smaller ones in the range of 5'x7' to 8'x10' will cover most furniture or other weather-sensitive items.
• Make sure you have a few lathing strips - 1"x2" or 1"x3" boards - of sufficient length to fasten a tarp to your roof, as well as a few screws of sufficient length to reach your roof's framing members. Put your tarp over the hole, keeping it as flat as possible, and fasten a lathing strip at the top. Moving to the bottom of the hole, stretch the tarp as tightly as possible over the exposed area and fasten a second board over it. Next, place a board on either side to prevent wind and water from blowing in that way. Many individuals wrap the tarp around the board a couple times to prevent tearing at the screws from wind shear. Screws make the boards and tarp easier to remove later.
• Make sure you keep your roof in good repair. A weak roof is more susceptible to bad weather than one that has been kept up. Make sure you've got a reputable roofing company's contact information on hand for emergencies or bad weather.

Once the worst has passed and things are getting back to normal, don't forget to have long-term roofing repairs made for your roof. First Quality Roofing & Insulation offers financing, is one of the only GAF Master Elite contractors in Las Vegas, and can build a free estimate for you that fits with your roof's specific needs. Contact us today at 702.262.7847 for more details!