SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are providing roof repair options for Puerto Rican homeowners to protect their homes from further damage caused by wind and rain.
Operation Blue Roof, managed by USACE, provides a temporary covering of reinforced blue plastic sheeting using strips of wood secured to the roof with nails or screws to help reduce further damage to property until permanent repairs can be made. In order to be considered for this program, a homeowner/landlord must legally agree to allow the USACE contractors access to the property by signing a Right of Entry (ROE) form. Blue Roofs are designed to last for 30 days.
In addition, FEMA has blue tarps, often referred to as self-help tarps, available throughout local municipalities that homeowners can pick up to help temporarily cover contents of damaged homes until permanent repairs can be made. FEMA tarps are large, loose-fitting sheets of waterproof material that can be tied to structures with grommets. The blue tarps are free of charge. The homeowner is responsible for the installation of the self-help tarps.
Residents that choose to use a self-help tarp may still be eligible for Operation Blue Roof, and can still register for other forms of FEMA assistance.
To find out more about these temporary roofing options, residents may contact their local municipality, call 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258) or visit http://www.sad.usace.army.mil/blueroof_espanol/ (http://www.sad.usace.army.mil/BlueRoof/) to find a location where right of Entry (ROE) forms are being collected.
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