With snowstorms come leaky roofs—what to do to prevent it and what to do if it’s too late

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — With another storm behind us, home roofing companies are quite busy these days answering calls from homeowners that are now dealing with leaks coming from their snow-covered roofs.

News10NBC took a look at this problem that typically starts when temperatures start to climb, and water with no place to go starts to penetrate any gaps it can find. Some homeowners are finding out the hard way if you don’t remove snow and ice from your roof it can form an ice dam. This could cause thousands of dollars worth of damages to your home.

Kay Gregory, and her family first noticed water leaking from their dining room ceiling yesterday afternoon. They immediately put some pots under the leak. Just a few hours later the leak got worse.

"2:30 this morning there was a large amount on the table, on the floor, hanging from the ceiling. It was horrible," Gregory said.

She went on to say that she needs to get some repair work done immediately.

"Because I think they said Wednesday or Thursday we’re going to have some more snow, but you take one day at a time, and that’s it," Gregory said.

Monday, they called in a roofing company that specializes in removing snow, and ice from the top of homes. The crew first shoveled all the excess snow on the roof before chipping away at the icy build-up. Channels were also cut into the ice to let the water flow down before calcium was added to further melt the remaining ice.

Vince Haskins, one member of the roofing crew told us how this problem can be prevented.

"The snow rake is a good option to pull some of the snow off your roof. There’s heat cables that you can put on your roof, but again the snow rake gets most of the problem away," Haskins said.

He went on to tell us, Monday alone they’ve already responded to at least 10 similar calls from homeowners. His best advice is to not let ice build on your roof.