ROGERS, Ark. (KFSM) — Roofers across Northwest Arkansas have spent this week making emergency repairs on roofs to make sure water stays out during the rain Thursday (Oct. 24).
TF Thompson Roofing says they’ve already helped more than 50 homeowners so far this week.
“We’re getting up at 4 before the sun rises, and we’re quitting after it gets dark,” said Tyler Kerley, operations manager at TF Thompson Roofing.
Kerley says they’ve been working nonstop to put tarps on roofs to make sure there isn’t more damage once the rain sets in.
“Don’t think we are pushing you off, we really want to get to you," he said of other potential customers. "We’re kind of addressing more homes with trees on their houses and the roof and the inside of their home exposed. We’re focusing on them to a point to get them dried in and get them where their house is actually livable,” he said.
Brian Smith's home is one of those TF Thompson roofing was working to tarp Wednesday (Oct. 23). He says knowing how much damage was done and the demand on their time, and he’s happy with how quickly they got to his house.
“For a homeowner who is concerned about further damage and the expense of that, I’m very pleased he’s coming out here right away to get that done. And we’re fortunate that we’ve had such nice weather since then to not have further damage,” Smith said.
Kerley says once the insurance adjusters come out to assess the damage, then they can come permanently fix the damage roofs. He says before this week’s tornado they were already two weeks out because they are still working on homes in Bella Vista that were badly damaged in the last big storm.
“We’re going to try and get to people as soon as we can, but it could be up to three weeks, just depending. If it’s repairs, you know it could be a week or two but full roof replacements will take longer because that’s a little bit longer process,” he said.
Insurance companies typically bring in adjusters from other states to help assess damage when they are big storms like this one.