Saturday, Oct. 9, 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer installed its first Blue Roof in Fort Myers Florida. Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for FEMA. The goal of the Blue Roof program is to provide homeowners in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced, industrial-strength sheeting to protect storm-damaged roofs until homeowners can make permanent repairs. This program is a NO COST service for homeowners. Operation Blue Roof is designed to protect property, reduces temporary housing costs, and allows residents to remain in their homes while recovering from the storm.

With the 2023 hurricane season and rainy season inching closer and closer, one business encourages those who have tarps on their roofs to retarp them.

“This year we are going into hurricane season with tarps,” Tactical Roofing VP Kimberly Palmieri said., which is frightening. “At least try your best. It’s your responsibility, as a homeowner, to protect your home the best you can. Mitigate it by putting a new tarp up, you’ll have a better chance with insurance.”

Instead of tarps, Palmieri said a homeowner is better off having to peel and stick on their roof, as it will stick to their deck so tight it would not go anywhere during a wind storm normally. This can be done by the contractors.

“Tarps have a lot of nails and screws. A lot of penetrations. Get into a reroof. We can leave underlayment on a roof for a certain amount of days. We can put another layer on top to get protected. There is a 90-day minimum we can leave roofs with peel and stick,” she said.

The best case scenario is to get the roof redone, as a tarp will not provide the best protection. Palmieri said there is financing available for those who need their roof redone.

For instance, their financing program does not go off of someone’s credit score or their pay stubs. Palmieri said if you pay your taxes on time and have a job, you’ll most likely qualify. The financing acts as a type of second mortgage on the home with no payments due for the first year.

“If you’re fighting insurance, you have a whole year before a payment. People don’t realize that options are there. It’s a good program,” she said.

There has been a domino effect for roofing companies since COVID occurred, slowing down production of products. Then the high demand with roofs being destroyed during Hurricane Ian, has left roofing companies extremely busy in tracking down material and getting jobs completed.

“We had shortages and shutdowns that played a role in this. We were already seeing these shortages,” she said before the hurricane.

For example, certain shingle colors are no longer available because companies cannot get the type of rock needed to source the color.

For a regular standard shingled roof, it will take two months before somebody starts rocking on the roof.

“It depends on the contractor,” Palmieri said. “A contractor says two to three months, that is standard. In the climate we are in to get started it depends on the actual product.”

Unfortunately, with roofing companies backed up, and some materials, such as tile being a year out and metal being a month or two out, it is taking longer for homeowners to get that new roof.

Cape Coral is instant with permitting, while in Lee County you have to wait two or three weeks to get permitting in place, Palmieri said.

There are steps homeowners can take to ensure their roof is okay before hurricane season takes place.

“I would say if you can afford it, have your roof inspected once a year,” she said, which is something homeowners need to do to keep their warranty intact. “Contractors will charge you a fee to take pictures. That fee is nothing in comparison if you leave your roof damaged. A lot of people don’t know about roofs and don’t go on their roofs. Having a person go up there and get close and personal with it, so you can see exactly what is going on,will go a long way.”

The fee typically ranges from $299 to $499 and can be done by home inspectors and roofing companies.

“There are a lot of small things you can nip in the bud with photo reports,” she said. “A small drip can cause large problems that you cannot see for a long time.”

Over the years caulking can go bad, which is easily replaced for a few dollars. If it goes unnoticed, and unfixed, it could turn into thousands of dollars.

“Get it inspected. Take care of it before large problems happen,” Palmieri said.

If repairs are done, keep all receipts and photographs, so you can prove the condition of your roof. She said when you can prove your roof was in great condition you will not get as much battle back from the insurance company.

Homeowners have many choices, as far as what kind of roof they want. 

On average, Palmieri said a shingled roof will last 15 years maximum in Florida, which has a lot to do with weather, how close it is to salt water and tree debris.

With that said, Palmieri saw first hand how well behaved a GAF shingle roof held up after Hurricane Ian  Rule of thumb, she said a shingled roof costs approximately $20,000.

“If they have to go shingle, I steer them toward that shingle just because I watched it behave so good,” she said.

There are also metal roofs, steel roofs, which do not last long around salt water, and aluminum roofing options.

“There are a lot of different products. Everything behaves differently. There are different varieties in each product,” she said.

Aluminum standing seam has special clips that go on, so when the roof shifts and breathes, the clips shift with it, creating a very long roof life. She said nothing hits, or dings an aluminum roof.

Palmieri encourages homeowners to check their insurance policy.

“Your policy is an actual contract. You have to read your contract, your home is very important. If you don’t understand it, reach out to your agent, so they can break it down for you to understand it better,” she said.