Saturday, Sept. 23 Message from FEMA

We’ve been asked by FEMA to disperse information. The following are two messages we received today:

First Blue Roof Being Installed in the Virgin Islands

ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands – The first residential temporary roof made of blue plastic sheeting was installed today on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The program, available to qualified homeowners and known as Operation Blue Roof, can make some damaged structures habitable again until more permanent repairs can be made.

Operation Blue Roof is carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Virgin Islands government to provide homeowners affected by Hurricane Irma with fiber-reinforced blue plastic sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until permanent repairs can be made.

“Operation Blue Roof allows short-term relief, and makes it possible for residents to stay in their homes while exploring permanent roof replacement options, said Brig. Gen. Diana Holland, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division.

Operation Blue Roof should protect property for a minimum of 30 days, reduce temporary housing costs, and allow for residents to remain in or return to their homes while recovering from the storm. This is a free service to homeowners. 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. Vacation rental properties and commercial properties are not eligible for the program. Not all roof types qualify for the program.

Eligibility Requirements:

1. The structure is the primary residence of the individual or household requesting emergency roof covering; AND

2. The residence has sufficient roof framing intact (more than 50 percent) to support the plastic sheeting as a temporary repair, and will otherwise be capable of providing safe shelter once the plastic sheeting is installed; AND

3. The resident certifies that he or she is the owner of the residence requested to be covered. For renters, the property owner must request the roof be covered and the renter will reside there once covered; AND

4. The resident certifies that he or she will shelter in the residence requested to be covered; AND

5. The roof to be repaired is composed of standard roof shingles, corrugated metal or a similar material which lends itself towards temporary repair with plastic sheeting or similar method. Roofs composed of materials such as slate, asbestos or clay tile, or other material or damaged metal framing which would be exceptionally difficult to repair, or likely to be damaged, shall not be roofed. Mobile Homes will be assessed on a case by case basis and will be covered if practicable.

Right of Entry

Everyone requesting temporary roofing assistance needs to sign a Right of Entry (ROE). Corps of Engineers’ teams began house-to-house ROE collection Friday on St. Thomas in the Anna’s Retreat neighborhood.

“We will continue ROE collection Saturday, and are bringing more personnel in to expand operations,” said St. Thomas Blue Roof Mission Manager Jay Lang. “It will take several days for personnel to arrive due to limited air support capabilities on the island right now; nevertheless our contractors are starting to install temporary roofs on houses.”

As USACE begins implementing this important program and more of their temporary roofing teams arrive to the Virgins Islands, residents are encouraged to listen to their local government officials and radio stations for information on where these ROE centers will be located.

Be aware of SCAMS. This is a free service, if asked to pay it is not Operation Blue Roof.

Hurricane Maria Survivors in St. John and St. Thomas May Apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance

ST. CROIX, Virgin Islands – Hurricane Maria survivors in St. John and St. Thomas (including Water Island) may now register for disaster assistance with FEMA. Today’s amendment to the major disaster declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands for Hurricane Maria makes FEMA Individual Assistance available to eligible individuals and families on those two islands.

As a result of today’s amendment, survivors on all U.S. Virgin Islands may now apply for FEMA assistance if they sustained uninsured or underinsured property damage because of Hurricane Maria.

Virgin Islanders in St. John and St. Thomas were already eligible to apply for assistance as a result of the September 7 disaster declaration for Hurricane Irma.

“We know many individuals and families in the Virgin Islands are struggling as a result of these powerful hurricanes and we want you to know that help is available,” said Federal Coordinating Officer William Vogel. “Registering is the first step to help get you on the path to a variety of recovery programs.”

Registration can be done online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, in Spanish at www.DisasterAssistance.gov/es, or by phone at 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services may call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice. Operators are standing by to assist survivors in English, Spanish and many other languages.

Due to power outages, FEMA will also be working with the territory to make options available for disaster survivors to register in person. More information will be forthcoming on that effort.

Federal disaster assistance helps eligible applicants with home repairs, uninsured personal property losses and medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster. It also helps cover other disaster-related expenses and other needs.

Survivors should contact their insurance company to file an insurance claim. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, those without insurance or who may be underinsured may still receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Survivors will be asked to provide:

• Social Security number
• Address of the damaged home or apartment
• Description of the damage
• Information about insurance coverage
• A current contact telephone number
• An address where they can get mail
• Bank account and routing numbers if they want direct deposit of any financial assistance
• Survivors who have already registered with FEMA and have questions or concerns may call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362.

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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 Hurricane Irma please visit www.fema.gov/hurricane-irma, www.informusvi.com or www.usviupdate.com. Follow us on twitter @femaregion2.

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.