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FEMA Launches Operation Blue Roof In 9 Florida Counties

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) -- In the wake of Hurricane Irma, South Florida homeowners with damaged roofs can get a blue tarp from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thanks to FEMA's Operation Blue Roof.

Operation Blue Roof provides temporary, blue plastic sheeting to eligible homeowners in nine counties to help reduce further damage to property until permanent repairs can be made. The blue plastic sheeting is installed using strips of wood that are secured to the roof with nails or screws.

This program is available at no cost to eligible primary homeowners in Charlotte, Collier, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties.

Only primary residences that have standard shingled roofs are eligible to receive a temporary blue roof.  Metal roofs and mobile homes will be repaired as practical on a case by case basis, and roofs with greater than 50% structural damage are not eligible for this program.

Homeowners must sign a Right of Entry (ROE) form to allow government employees and contractors onto their property to assess damage and install the temporary covering.  ROE collection centers will be set up by Corps teams in convenient neighborhood locations. Updated information about collection center locations in each county will be distributed daily.

Current Right of Entry collection centers are located at:

COLLIER COUNTY:

  • Open Thursday, September 14
  • 2800 North Horseshoe Dr., Naples, FL 34104

LEE COUNTY:

  • Open Thursday, September 14
  • Lowe's Home Improvement, 8040 Dani Dr., Fort Myers, FL 33966

PINELLAS COUNTY:

  • Opening Friday, September 15
  • The Outreach Center, 12875 Walsingham Rd., Largo, FL 337744

Centers are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.  Additional locations may be added as necessary.

Current information is available on the Jacksonville District Web site at www.saj.usace.army.mil/BlueRoof  at 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258).  Information is provided in both English and Spanish through this single number.

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