The latter instance has started in the Philippines recently. Officials in Cavite, a town on the island Luzon, held a campaign in May and, afterward, realized that several tarps were left over. Instead of throwing them out – they would simply sit in landfills and no nothing – officials involved in the campaign decided to turn them into schoolbags.

Called EcoBags, these bags made from recycled tarps come in backpack, messenger, and pouch varieties. All are designed to hold up to five textbooks and come in many bright and vibrant colors. Additionally, the bags themselves are made by former garment workers and should be ready by the time the school year starts.

Are tarps ideal materials for bags, particularly for schoolbags for children? In a sense, yes. Polyethylene, assuming it isn’t damaged and torn, is durable and waterproof. If a bag is sewn from it, it would have the strength to hold the books and keep them dry. Aside from the durability factor, poly tarps have another advantage – the color palette available. Tarps range from staid colors like black, green, and silver to brighter ones, such as yellow, orange, and red. Camouflage is even offered as a color for tarps.

The blue tarp is an image synonymous with hurricanes. These tarps embody the damage experienced by the storms but also the hardships after. As mentioned in the linked article, tarps may end up becoming a long-term solution for residents who have experienced roof damage. In the case of Hurricane Ike, as mentioned in the article, the damage – and the tarps – can be seen nearly two years after the storm. Residents continue to use the tarps past the 90-day period because insurance won’t cover the damage done to the roof.

Nevertheless, blue tarps are another symbol for hurricane season – one of preparedness. FEMA often brings in more tarps in preparation for the storm, while residents of such areas are recommended to have their own.

When it comes to protection after the storm, blue tarps are designed to be a temporary patch over a damaged roof or broken window. The material is treated to be UV resistant and waterproof and, as a result, prevents water from entering the structure and causing more damage. The material also keeps mold and mildew at bay. But, if a tarp is used as a temporary patch, it shouldn’t be used for more than 90 days. Unless the material is changed after that time, the tarp will not be as effective.

This video makes several points in regards to owning and using tarps. While the visuals show you numerous activities that can be done with tarps (homemade waterslides, snowboarding ramps, and ice skating), the voiceover narration makes some points for using and purchasing tarps:

• Silver and White are two common colors for heavy-duty tarps. Most heavy duty tarps, which are used for long-term outdoor uses, come in these colors to reflect sunlight. Other colors, such as green, black, and brown, are also available in this thickness and strength.
• Blue is a common color for lightweight tarps. Lightweight – also known as medium-duty – tarps are used for many temporary outdoor uses. From covering a vehicle for a few days to patching a roof, medium-duty tarps in blue are the most common. Other colors, additionally, come in medium-duty thickness.
• The thickness of the tarp is indicative of the quality. Thicker, or heavy-duty, tarps are designed for more permanent uses outdoors, while medium-duty ones are only for temporary uses. Case in point is the use of tarps in outdoor canopy shelters like carports and portable garages that stay outdoors for several months, if not years. Generally, a heavy-duty tarp has a 12 mil thickness and medium-duty ones are six to eight mil thick.
• Expect a high-quality tarp to last three to four years. Of course, this depends on what you use it for. Heavy-duty tarps added to canopies, for example, will last four years outdoors. A heavy-duty tarp used sporadically will probably last longer.

Many homes in Regina, according to the article, have experienced damaged roofs from storms with high winds. Homeowners, as a result, are covering their roofs with tarps to prevent water damage. Unfortunately, the persistent nature of the storms in the area has resulted in tarps being torn off and the interior of homes, then, experience water damage. Similarly, roofing companies in the city have a long list of homes needing repairs, and residents are told to wait. Additionally, because working on wet or damp roofs is more likely to result in injuries to the roofers, roofing companies have to postpone their projects.

So, in this instance, what is a person waiting on repairs to do? While the situation has no easy answer, especially if more storms are on the way, one option is to find an effective method for attaching the tarp. As we’ve explored on here before, protecting the damage on your roof isn’t simply throwing a tarp over the hole – or even using cinderblocks to hold it down. Rather, the tarp needs to be attached to the roof. If you’re looking for some tips to protect your roof this season, read some of our tips for tarping a roof from our blog.

Tarps in this instance are particularly important. Hurricanes and tornadoes often aren’t isolated instances, and a smaller storm may follow. In the case of Mississippi, more rain is expected for the region and could possibly be enough to cause flooding. Mississippi saw a few casualties and 700 damaged homes from the first storm. Because more storms are set to approach, having your home protected before the storms hit is a necessity. If you don’t have any tarps on hand at the moment, obtain them through the Red Cross or another organization to repair any roof damage or broken windows.

The cleanup for the region has already started. Outside of doing building repairs, debris and fallen trees are being cleaned up. Nevertheless, the threat of more storms looms overhead, which could result in more damage. On an individual level, however, now is the time to get your home ready for any future storms. This includes repairing any damage to your roof done by the storm and stocking up on additional tarps in case of future damage. The important factor in regards to tornadoes and hurricanes is keeping your home free from water and mold damage, and using tarps to repair your roof helps with this.

No matter if a team is professional like the Twins or is your local little league, a season can find itself derailed by canceled games once rain shows up. Not covering the field with a tarp makes the grass muddy and the field unplayable. While the home team waits for its field to dry from the rain, they end up missing games and practices. Instead, having a few large tarps on hand, or a baseball field tarp, is necessary when rain is approaching. At the first sign of rain, have the grounds crew or the team add the tarp over the field and then add weights, such as bricks, cinder blocks, or chains, to keep the material in place.

While general large tarps can cover a baseball field, many manufacturers of the polyethylene material have specialized baseball tarps in the shape of a diamond. When rain approaches, this tarp is rolled out on top of the ground and secured. Some of these baseball tarps are even equipped with chains around the edges, so, once rolled out, they stay in place and need no additional weight. Made from heavy-duty polyethylene, the tarp prevents the water from reaching the baseball diamond. Additional tarps can be placed over seating areas around the field.

According to their press release, CARE has distributed food, hygiene products, tents, and tarps to 200 families in Chile, although more aid is needed. Tarps are considered the first protection measure, more so than tents, as we explained in an earlier post about tarps needed in Haiti. Tarps, when used with the right materials, provide temporary protection to rain and UV rays, while tents generally aren’t as waterproof. In fact, as we’ve seen many times before in regards to camping, tarps are often needed to protect the tent from rain.

As in Haiti, the rain season started this month in Chile, which means that tarps are in even more need than before. If you’re considering assisting with aid, consider donating any tarps you own. These don’t need to be brand new, as we saw in the case of Haitian relief efforts. Rather, the tarps need to be in working condition, which means no tears, holes, or frayed edges. Other items are needed in Chile, as well, but shelter is also important. If you’re looking for a way to help, contact various organizations, like CARE, in your area to see if they’ll take tarps as donations.

While this video from Lowe’s gives an adequate demonstration for temporarily fixing your roof with a tarp, they bring up one important point: Determine the areas where your roof is damaged before tarping. This isn’t always done from on top of the roof, as seen in the video. Going under the roof and looking for all possible damages indicates where you’ll need to tarp, as even small dents can result in a leak. Because another storm might occur soon, addressing your roof first thing once the current storm has passed is important to preventing water damage and mold in your home.

While the method used by Lowe’s is somewhat different from ones we’ve suggested so far, it’s not bad. The demonstration includes the tarp being nailed and sandwiched between two boards on opposite sides before being nailed to the roof of the house. The other two sides are, then, nailed down with boards. Our suggested method involves wrapping two of the ends of the tarp in two-by-four boards and then nailing them to the roof. Otherwise, if you use no method to anchor the tarp to the roof, the tarp won’t stay in place, as seen in this video:

• Using a waterproof plastic ground cloth inside the tent. This could also be a tarp that is cut to fit along the floor inside. Similar suggestions include putting this sized piece of plastic (or tarp) directly below the floor of the tent in winter to prevent freezing.
• Bring twice as many stakes, with a variety of sizes. When rain hits, the structure may need more support.
• Have some bungee cords on hand. As mentioned before and in the article, tents expand from the rain and attaching these to the tent keep it contracted.
• Bring at least one 10 by 12 square feet tarp to tie above the tent.

The article gives some other suggestions for camping, although the most significant point here – and that we’ve seen before – is that you can’t be too protected in case rain hits. Why ruin your camping trip by staying inside a tent? Be prepared with the necessary supplies, and this most often includes tarps, rope, and stakes.

The northeastern United States has been experiencing strange and uneven weather patterns this past winter. Heavy snows have covered parts of Philadelphia and Washington, DC, while Connecticut and Boston are experiencing more rain and wind than usual. In fact, some of the winds have been approaching hurricane strength levels. As a result, suburbs north of Boston recently saw hurricane-like damages as the result of such storms. The outcome? Many, such as the hotel pictured in the article under the link, had to turn to blue tarps for temporary protection.

However, as seen in the picture, such as tarp wasn’t applied properly and, if another storm hits before the damage is fixed, the wind will brush aside the cinderblocks and tarp and continue to damage the roof. Although those in the Northeast generally don’t experience such storms, the basic protocol when applying blue tarps after a storm is to not only have the polyethylene on hand but several boards and nails. A tarp should go directly over the damage, be it a crack or something larger, but shouldn’t cover the roof. See the polyethylene as a temporary patch and secure it over such areas with the boards and nails.