Army Corps to help residents apply for Operation Blue Roof

Army Corps to help residents apply for Operation Blue Roof

Residents have until Nov. 5 to apply for free roof protection

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will station mobile registration units in St. Petersburg and Madeira Beach Saturday through Tuesday to assist Pinellas County residents with Hurricane Milton roof damage get a free temporary blue tarp installed through Operation Blue Roof.

The Army Corps will station a mobile command unit at the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office, 2500 34^th St. N., St. Petersburg, on Saturday, Oct. 26, and Sunday, Oct. 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The mobile unit will then be available at the Winn Dixie parking lot, 15200 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach, on Monday, Oct. 28, and Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Residents will need to show a driver's license or other proof of address.

Additionally, on Monday, Oct. 28, and Tuesday, Oct. 29, an Army Corps team will be available to help with in-person registrations at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Botanical Gardens Magnolia Room, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo.

Residents can register by calling (888) 766-3258 through Tuesday, Nov. 5.

This program is for primary residences or a permanently occupied rental property with less than 50 percent of roof framing damage. Vacation rental properties are not eligible. The roof must be standard roof shingles or a similar material that will allow contractors to nail the tarp in place. Contractors cannot cover roofs made of slate, asbestos or clay tile, or any material that would be exceptionally difficult to repair. Metal roofs and mobile homes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Operation Blue Roof will remove homeowner-installed tarps and minor debris to allow for proper installation. Large debris, such as a tree, must be removed from the roof by the homeowner to be eligible.