A Corps of Engineers employee and contractors inspect the installation of a blue roof on a home in Monroe County, Fla.
Posted on 01/11/2006 4:35:22 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Jan. 11, 2006) -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing out the “Operation Blue Roof” program in Florida, with more than 42,000 homes receiving temporary roofing repairs since Hurricane Wilma made landfall in October.
The Corps began the program on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Operation Blue Roof provides homeowners free temporary blue plastic roof coverings for eligible homes damaged by Hurricane Wilma.
The program enables those affected by the hurricane to get back into their homes so that they can return to their routines as quickly as possible, Corps officials said. They said it also greatly reduces the need for more expensive temporary housing.
The first Right of Entry form was collected two days after Wilma struck, Corps officials said. Within two weeks, more than 30,000 requests for assistance were received, and more than 50 percent of all eligible, damaged roofs had been covered.
At the peak of the program, nearly 4,000 ROE forms were collected, and 1,700 homes were protected on a daily basis, according to Corps reports.
The Corps collected thousands of requests for assistance in two weeks time by partnering with local emergency operation centers in 13 affected counties. Each county provided both volunteers and resources to help the Corps bring relief to devastated areas quickly and efficiently.
A speedy recovery was the goal of the Corps for residents living in dire conditions, said Lt. Col. Andrew Goetz, who commanded the Hurricane Wilma Recovery Field Office
“We worked as hard and fast as we could to get temporary roof repairs completed,” Goetz said. “We wanted to do the greatest good we could, for the most people, in the shortest amount of time.”
Phone banks were also established in the Miami and Clewiston areas, allowing residents to speak personally with an operator about the program. Callers could voice concerns and ask questions on the status of their roof repair.
The phone banks provided both Spanish and Creole translators when needed.
In addition to providing temporary roofing repairs, the Corps supported FEMA by providing ice, water, and temporary housing for Hurricane Wilma recovery efforts.
Florida's recovering from the Hurricane
I just saw some blue roofs on a street today....on expensive homes. ....I guess they won't qualify.
BTTT
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