NEW ORLEANS — The city of New Orleans will be offering approximately three dozen select homeowners a chance to replace their current roofs with a fortified roof to help provide protection against future storms and hurricanes, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday.
The program, in accordance with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, will take applications on a first-come-first-served basis, but officials on hand at Friday's press conference says there is already a waiting list.
In addition, to get on the waiting list you must have owned your home and lived in it for at least the past three years and you must be:
A low-income household and ONE or more of the following:
- 60 years of age or older
- Disabled
- Veteran or Veteran widower
- Single Head of Household with minors in the home
- Full-time caregiver
Officials say they hope to expand the program and be able to offer more roofing assistance in the future.
Fortified roofs offer enhancements to regular roofs, such as: there are more and longer nails, a secondary water barrier, along with the tar paper, high wind-resistant shingles with special adhesive on the edges and peaks. A drip edge keeps water from blowing up under shingles, and instead of the traditional metal whirlybird turbine vent, a more flat one is used.
The state also had a program last year that was on a first-come-first-served basis but it quickly reached maximum applications. There is a chance that program could happen again in 2024/25.
Watch the complete announcement below:
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