While you're inside your home during a severe storm with high winds, you may have looked out your window to see shingles flying through the air and onto the ground. After you feel safe enough to do so, you may have gone out to look at your home's roof — only to find bare spots where the shingles were once attached.

Because missing shingles and exposed wood decking can quickly lead to serious damage and leaks, you should not wait to call in a professional to deal with the issues. Along with waiting too long to call an emergency roofer, there are a couple of other mistakes that you should avoid making when a storm blows shingles off of your roof.

1. Leaving the Bare Wood Decking Exposed While You Wait for the Emergency Roofer to Arrive 

One mistake you need to avoid making when you discover that shingles are missing on your roof after a storm is leaving the bare wood decking exposed. Even if you have already called a roofing professional, you do not want to risk further water damage that can cause rapid deterioration of the decking.

As soon as the storm is over and the roof has dried, you should try to cover the bare wood with a tarp, trash bags, or another type of plastic sheeting. However, if the area seems too dangerous or you do not feel as though you can safely get on the roof, wait until the emergency roofer gets there to have them cover it for you.

2. Attempting to Reattach the Old Shingles That Were Blown off During the Storm

Another mistake that you should not make after shingles are blown off your roof during a storm is attempting to reattach the old shingles. Even if the shingles seem to be whole and intact, they most likely suffered some cracking or splitting when they were ripped off by the wind and hit the ground.

If you attempt to reattach them, the affected shingles will most likely cause water leaks in the near future. It is better to have a roofing professional install new shingles for the bare areas on the roof as well as any that are still attached but were damaged during the storm.

When a storm brings with it winds strong enough to blow shingles off of your home's roof, you need to make sure you cover the bare wood with a tarp or plastic sheet as soon as it is safe to do so to prevent further damage to the decking. You should also resist the temptation to reattach the shingles you find lying on the ground because they will need to be replaced with new ones by a professional. After the storm subsides, contact a 24/7 emergency roofing service to have your roof fully assessed for damage so it can be fixed as soon as possible.