Eye on the Tropics

Operation Blue Roof helps Central Florida residents dealing with Hurricane Irma damage

As residents across Central Florida continue to repair damage caused by Hurricane Irma, an organization has stepped up to help match contractors with homeowners needing help.
Operation Blue Roof is helping homeowners get temporary repairs done by providing information for licensed contractors to residents.
For Orlando resident Jerry Coe, a leak caused by the storm needed to be fixed quickly and he didn’t have time to wait for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost.
“The high winds were blowing water into the vent for the range,” he said. “It was dripping down into my kitchen all over the floor.”
Operation Blue Roof offers repairs to roofs with less than 50 percent damage for free, which made all the difference for Coe.
“I did my own tarp to prevent any further damage right after the storm,” he said. “Because in two weeks’ time it would have gotten worse.”
Currently, the only area of Central Florida not being served by Operation Blue Roof is Flagler County.
Residents in Orange and Osceola counties were able to start signing up Tuesday.
Orange County resident David Moses said the program fixed his roof quickly and easily.
“I’m missing some shingles and there’s a part that’s exposed that I need covered,” he said. “If it rains again, I’m concerned it will leak.”
The meeting with the contractor took only a few minutes and he was able to get back to work with plenty of time.
“Oh, definitely, everything’s ready to go,” he said. “They just have to come in, give their information and hopefully the tarp will be in place in the next few days.”

Cox Media Group

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