ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – The deadline for Virgin Island hurricane survivors to sign up with Operation Blue Roof for free temporary roofing repairs to their homes has been extended to Thursday, November 23.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the territorial government’s request to extend the deadline to allow those who left the islands due to impacts from hurricanes Irma and Maria to take full advantage of the program.
Survivors should note, this Blue Roof deadline is different from the December 18 deadline to register with FEMA for disaster assistance as a result of hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Operation Blue Roof is carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with FEMA and the U.S. Virgin Islands government to provide homeowners affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria with fiber-reinforced blue plastic sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until permanent repairs can be made.
Homeowners must sign a Right of Entry (ROE) form that allows USACE staff on the property to assess roof damage and for contractors to install the plastic sheeting. It generally takes about eight days for a USACE representative to visit the home once the ROE is signed, and the installation will be done about two weeks later. Survivors can help USACE locate their residence by placing visible addresses or plot numbers on their property.
To apply for Operation Blue Roof survivors should visit any of the ROE Centers around the islands. To find a location, call 888-ROOF-BLU (766-3258). Survivors signing up for the program are asked to bring a photo identification, a property tax bill and, if possible, a photograph of the damaged roof for property identification.
Survivors who have experienced any problems with the temporary roofing repairs on St. Croix may also call Operation Blue Roof at 888-766-3258 or visit the USACE Mobile Command Vehicle at the Sunshine Mall Kmart West, Remainder Matriculate, Frederiksted. On St. Thomas and St. John, survivors may call the USACE local number at 601-619-2821 or visit the USACE Roofing Resident Office on the 1st floor of the Government Employee Retirement System Building, 3438 Kronprindsens Gade, Charlotte Amalie. USACE will send a quality assurance inspector to the property, and any Blue Roof that was not installed by the contractor according to contract standards will be repaired.
Operation Blue Roof should protect property for a minimum of 30 days and allow residents to remain in or return to their homes while recovering from the storms. The program is for primary residences, or occupied rental properties that can be repaired with plywood, plastic sheeting, and in some cases a minor amount of rafter replacement or repair. Not all roof types qualify for the program.
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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711/VRS - Video Relay Service) (TTY: 800-462-7585). Multilingual operators are available (press 2 for Spanish).
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
For official information on the recovery effort following the hurricanes, please visit www.informusvi.com or www.usviupdate.com. Follow us on social media at twitter.com/femaregion2 and www.facebook.com/FEMAUSVirginIslands.
To donate or volunteer, contact the voluntary or charitable organization of your choice through the National Voluntary Agencies Active in Disasters (NVOAD) at www.nvoad.org. For those who wish to help, cash donations offer voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands also has the "Fund for the Virgin Islands" at www.USVIrecovery.org.