a siphon for flat roof

[geordief]

I need to drain water from a flat roof until such time as I am able to do a proper repair job (attack it from below hopefully)
To prevent the build up a huge weight of water from the daily wind and rain I can either go up with a broom and manually remove the puddle -or I can try to drain the area slowly with a siphon..
I have tried cutting a strip of old bedspread material (about 3 feet long and 3 inches wide) that has to raise the water about 2 inches in the air to pass the edge of the roof before dropping it into a container below.
However this contraption cannot begin to keep keep up with the speed of the arriving water.
Can anyone think of a better arrangement or a better material (more hydrophilic is the term I think-or spongy) that could be shaped into a long strip?
thanks

[Simon Site Manager]

Hi Gordief,
Put a submersible pump up there, you need one with a float (that stops the pump once the water has drained). try and pool the water into one place to give the water depth so that the float works.

Simon

[thescruff]

3 Lengths of 4 x 2 timber.

A sheet of shuttering ply.

A tarp over the whole roof and tied down.