NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Thousands of Louisiana residents have gotten blue roofs since Hurricane Ida ravaged the area, but not all of them were needed. One New Orleans woman says she got one without asking and now she wants the Corps of Engineers to make it right.
For most hurricane victims, getting a blue roof is a treat to prevent further home flooding, but this Algiers woman says her blue roof was anything but.
“I went out and looked up and said wow that little blue roof tarp that I don’t need,” said Toni Dunbar.
She says she noticed the tarp on Monday and grows more concerned each day about a blue roof she never asked for.
“I’m worried every day that I might get drips in my room,” she said.
Dunbar says workers got on her roof and nailed in the blue tarp sometime last week when no one was home. She says her roof was practically brand new, only three months old, and there was no reason for crews to make a stop at her house. She even had an insurance adjuster come out after the storm, who said she was not in need of repairs.
Now, her roof has dozens of holes from nails used to put up the tarp. The Corps of Engineers issued an apology, saying a blue roof was ordered nearby and the contractor made a mistake.
“A work order was submitted for a home on that street and was verified and it looks like the contractor went to install it on the wrong home,” said Corps spokesman Luciano Vera.
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The Corps says the contractor will now work with the homeowner to make it right.
“They will repair it, or look to install a new roof at no cost to her because it was a contractor mistake,” said Vera.
The Corps says that repair work could be completed as early as this Saturday.
The Corps of Engineers has installed 27,000 blue roofs in Louisiana since hurricane Ida. The deadline for applying for a blue roof is Friday at midnight. You can call 888 766 3258 or visit blueroof.us.
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