In an interview with a former FEMA inspector in Puerto Rico I asked about those ubiquitous blue roofs you see in aerial shots of the post-Maria island. They are blue plastic tarps.
He told me frankly, that many are leaking and that some of the sub-contractors hired by FEMA to install them botched the jobs. He related a tale of being in one woman’s home watching water dripping down through the tarped roof, into an electric light socket in the ceiling. The home was part concrete and part wood. The water-electrical combo could have electrocuted her, and caused the house to burn down. He did some investigation and discovered that the installer had been fired. Her only solution was to go back to FEMA with all the required paperwork (and wait time) and get another tarp — hopefully to be installed correctly.
According to FEMA, the tarps are made to last 30 days, and after that if you don’t get approved for money for a permanent roof, you can just live under a leaky deteriorating tarp, or try to get a new one.
CNN did a hard-hitting story about the blue roof situation back in December — which if you missed it needs to be seen — and shared.
La Ruta De María: A journey along the path of the hurricane
“Three months after Hurricane Maria, a CNN investigation shows tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans have applied for temporary roofs but still have not received them”
Postscript: As of January 1, 2018, 30,580 people had received Blue Roofs in Puerto Rico, according to the US Army Corps press office. Yet 45,125 applicants continued to wait. Héctor Rodríguez was among them until he received a Blue Roof on January 31, he tells CNN.
Thousands wait for roofs in Puerto Rico
Operation Blue Roof aims to provide temporary roofing help that is somewhat more substantial than a tarp but is designed to last only about 30 days. Thousands of people are waiting for help under that program. Separately, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, administers a program to distribute tarps to Puerto Ricans. That agency has provided about 116,000 tarps on the island since Hurricane Maria, according to Daniel Llargues, a spokesman for FEMA. Puerto Rican officials, as well as emergency management officials at the municipal level, distribute those supplies, he said.
In November, FEMA canceled tarp delivery contracts with Bronze Star, a company in Florida, over concerns that it would not be able to deliver supplies, according to an Associated Press investigation. Records confirm Bronze Star contracts were terminated."Bronze Star LLC defaulted of their contract requirements when they were unable to meet the required delivery date," FEMA said in a email to CNN. "FEMA re-procured the contract and awarded a contract for the 475,000 blue tarps, the first delivery arrived in Puerto Rico on November 24, 2017."
Conditions in Puerto Rico remain desperate on some parts of the island. More than 830 people are living in shelters, according to Puerto Rican government estimates. One month after the storm, CNN told the story of a woman who said she fell and broke her arm while trying to sweep rain out of her living room. She'd been living without a roof or tarp for weeks, she said. "Just imagine, I step out of my bed and there's water. I go to the bathroom and I have to bring an umbrella," Carmen Rivera Rodriguez told CNN in October.
The Army Corps' Blue Roof program was slower to get moving in Puerto Rico than usual in part because of power outages and problems at airports on the island, said Slattery. It's also been difficult for workers to safely repair some roofs because of conditions on the island, he said.
I googled my way to FEMA Puerto Rico and found this graphic:
Puerto Rico Operation Blue Roof Graphic
I immediately lifted an eyebrow and did an eye-roll. The majority of roofs in Puerto Rico are not shingled. They are concrete or metal. Perhaps FEMA should have read this old government report from the Bureau of Standards about roofing in PR.
From the FEMA FAQ website:
Q: Who can get a Blue Roof?
A: Only applicants in 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.
Q: How long until a roof is repaired?
A: The Corps is covering roofs in the hardest hit counties first. The Corps will respond to every person who has completed a ROE as rapidly as possible. Every property that has a signed ROE will be visited.
Q. If a home is being rented, can a tenant sign a right of entry form?
A: Yes the tenant may sign the form, but must have a letter from the landlord stating that the tenant has permission to sign for the landlord.
Q: How long will a Blue Roof last?
A: The plastic is a reinforced, water-proof material that is designed to last 30 days. We recommend homeowners make arrangements for permanent roof repairs within 30 days if possible.
Let’s read the “how long will it last” part again. It’s been 5 months since Irma.
I would really like to know how many people have had their roof’s repaired since then. Could not find the data — though FEMA has a “progress report” on its website which states “This is the main page for up-to-date resources and information on the federal response to Hurricane Maria.”
Um...up to date? Maria hit Sept 20.
That page links to Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria (DR-4339)
Individual Assistance Applications
Approved: 425,194
Total Individual & Households Program
Dollars Approved: $1,004,235,567.05
Don Feliberto — who Daily Kos readers have been sending
Rusted out moldy refrigerator in Don Feliberto’s home
support to (see newpioneer’s stories — here and here) is still living under a leaky blue tarp — consequently everything left in his home is covered in mold.
Puerto Rico is an island where sometimes it rains everyday:
Puerto Rico is an island that enjoys a warm and humid tropical climate. It has an average annual temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) and with rain well distributed throughout the year. The wet season takes place from May to October and the wettest month is August. On the northern coast you will find the most rain of the island with over 1550 mm per year, while the south coast has an annual average rainfall of 910 mm. The mountains receive a lot more rainfall, between 3000 and 4000 mm annually
The wet and the damp and the mold are medical and psychological hazards.
Why should any of our citizens have to live for months and months without a roof over their heads?
Raise the roof about this by calling your elected officials in D.C.
US Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121
