TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Eligible homeowners who sustained roof damage from Hurricane Irma now have two additional locations where they can apply for Operation Blue Roof and complete the Right of Entry (ROE) form that allows government employees and contractors onto their property to assess damage and install a temporary covering.
New ROE collection centers have opened at:
Miami-Dade County:
Lowe's Home Improvement
1850 NE 8th St., Homestead, FL
Hillsborough County:
Seffner-Mano Branch Library
410 N. Kingsway Rd., Seffner, FL
Additional ROE collection centers are located at:
Collier County
2800 North Horseshoe Dr.
Naples, FL 34104
The Growth Center
310 Alachua St.
Immokalee, FL 34142
Lee County
Lowe’s Home Improvement
8040 Dani Dr.
Fort Myers, FL 33966
Pinellas County
12629 Ulmerton Rd.
Largo, FL 33774
Sarasota County
Bee Ridge Park
4430 South Lockwood Ridge Rd.
Sarasota, FL 34231
All centers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.
Operation Blue Roof, which assists eligible homeowners with temporary roof repairs, is a program the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tasks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, to implement.
This program is available at no cost to eligible primary homeowners in Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, and Sarasota counties. Other counties may be added later.
Only primary residences with standard shingled roofs are eligible to receive a temporary blue roof. Metal roofs and mobile homes may be repaired as practical on a case-by-case basis. Roofs with greater than 50 percent structural damage are not eligible for this program.
For rental property, legal permission for a blue roof to be installed must be obtained from the property owner. Renters also must get legal permission from their landlord to continue occupying the residence until more permanent repairs are made.
USACE installed the first temporary roof for the Operation Blue Roof program on Sept. 16 in Collier County.
Information about Operation Blue Roof is available on the Jacksonville District website at www.saj.usace.army.mil/BlueRoof, and in English and Spanish at 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258).
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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
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