Securing blue tarps on roofs ahead of Nicole

Many people in Southwest Florida have tarps covering their roofs, and now there’s a major concern for them as Subtropical Storm Nicole pushes toward Florida.

Those homes are very vulnerable right now, and more rain could mean more trouble.

If you have a tarp on your roof, check it out sooner rather than later. If Nicole brings high winds or gusts, it could be enough to rip the tarp off if it’s not properly secured to your home.

Blue tarps are scattered all over Southwest Florida as a symbol and reminder of Hurricane Ian.

For Marianne Brill, the tarps are a constant reminder of how lucky she is since she came out of Ian better than most of her Cape Coral neighbors.

“There were shingles off we were I’d, I would say we were pretty lucky as far as that goes. It was a newer roof. So it wasn’t trashed, trashed,” Brill said. “But there was some, you know, a few leaks and a few holes. So the shingles were just everywhere.”

A month after Ian, Brill’s shingles are still missing, covered by a blue tarp. Despite the potential impact of Nicole, she remains positive when it could be so easy to be negative.

“If it comes off, it comes off. I mean, what are you gonna do? I mean, we went through the hurricane process, so I don’t really think that whatever happens with the wind and this tarp, it could really be much worse unless the whole roof gets lifted off,” Brill said.

Tom Lozier feels a bit differently because his roof just got fixed a few days ago after losing the back portion of it during Ian.

“It’s a little concerning. What I understand it’s not as bad as the last one. But you never know. Right? And I’m concerned about all the brush and stuff too still laying around in the streets,” Lozier said.

Roofer Jason Polly told WINK News the best way to avoid further damage is to secure your tarp.

“You’re gonna get wind underneath those blue tarps, and they’re gonna blow off. So I recommend getting up there and inspecting, making sure there’s no gaps, put nails where there are gaps. If you have roofing, cement, bould the seams on them,” Polly said.

And, if you have any debris outside your home, you should move it to protect yourself.

Also, if you see any gaps within your tarp, Polly said placing extra nails ahead of Nicole is the best chance for you to protect your home.