LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are handing out blue tarps for those who suffered roof or structural damage during Hurricane Irma.
Operation Blue Roof, which assists eligible homeowners with temporary roof repairs, is a program the Federal Emergency Management Agency tasks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 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.
Eligible homeowners who sustained roof damage from Hurricane Irma have several 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.
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
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.