Many times on here, we’ve discussed how to use tarps as a tent and other protection. But, no matter how you angle or place a tarp, the key aspect in using one is the composition – something that a basic tent doesn’t have. The important aspect of all tarps is the waterproof nature of polyethylene and, in instances of camping, tarps are brought along to protect the tent and other items that won’t withstand the rain. With the rain season in Haiti approaching, those left homeless by the hurricane will need some temporary adequate protection, and a tarp, with stakes and rope, will provide better long-term shelter than a camping tent.

If you have some older but still solid tarps hanging around and want to donate your materials to Haiti, various local organizations and companies may take your supplies. Although this varies by location, churches, various charitable organizations, and even companies that sell camping equipment and tarps have all chipped into relief efforts by holding drives for supplies. If you’re interested in donating tarps, with rope or stakes, to Haiti, look up any organizations in your area holding such supplies drives. They will, in most cases, take your old tarps, assuming the material isn’t torn or too worn.

Although we’ve seen solar carports in many other parts of the country, this is the second instance of using solar energy in such a fashion in a relatively small area. In this plan to add solar carports to the seven largest parking lots in Suffolk County, the Long Island Power Authority and enXco, a wind and solar project developer from California, are creating the plan. So far, the areas that will have such carports are various government complexes and Long Island Railroad station lots. These carports will be used only for clean energy to the county power grid – not for powering electric vehicles as of yet.

What makes carports so ideal as a source for clean energy? As you can see from the picture with the article in the link above, the carports are designed much like ordinary metal carports, with peaked roofs and enough space to fit several cars below. As the metal shelter protects the vehicles from the rain and UV ray exposure, the solar panels on top of the carport use the energy from the sun to power the electric grid. While which buildings that will be powered by this clean energy aren’t specified in the article, these seven lots with solar carports will be displacing 50 megawatts of the overall electricity with clean energy.

• Same color and same material as the house for a front carport.
• Metal carports are no longer acceptable, although nothing is mentioned about metal and polyethylene carports.
• The roof must be pitched but its height should not exceed that of the roof on the house.
• The structure should be no more than 400 square feet.
• The structure must be built over a concrete driveway.
• Front carports are not permitted in neighborhoods platted after 1973.

If you have a rear carport in Mesquite currently, most of these rules do not apply to you. Instead, this amendment, which was scheduled for a February 15 discussion, focuses solely on current front carports and restricting such new structures in most Mesquite neighborhoods.

Nevertheless, although this amendment is designed to improve the appearance of many older neighborhoods, some issues haven’t been addressed. For example, can front carports be attached to a home or do they need to be a separate structure that meets all of the requirements above? If as a separate structure, can it be anchored in the ground or must it be removable? What about any side walls? Do these same rules apply to all portable shelters, such as RV and boat storage, or are they only for every-day use carports? Perhaps if this amendment goes through further drafts, these aspects concerning portable shelters will be taken into account.

Because of these two connections, the Church of the King in Mandeville held a drive for blue tarps to send to Haiti. The church sent an 18-wheeler truck of supplies to Haiti, with tarps as one of the supplies sent. Many residents in the area, not only for the church but also in the New Orleans area, have tarps on hand. With the hurricane season over, many of these unused tarps can be donated to relief efforts in Haiti to give temporary shelter, much like the way tarps are used around the Gulf after a hurricane.

Aside from the tarp connection, the natural disaster connection between New Orleans and Haiti is also significant. With the Saints making it to the Super Bowl recently, attention to the changes since Katrina are another focus on New Orleans. Mentioned in the linked article above, some of the most significant changes to New Orleans have been to make it more flood protected, including creating elevated homes to survive a flood and storm resistant homes in the Ninth Ward. Additionally, more charter schools to improve the education quality and recovery tours have also come about in rebuilding efforts.

In the US, various organizations and companies are donating these supplies to relief efforts in Haiti to be distributed. One company in east Tennessee, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, has been holding a tent drive to get more of these shelters to donate. Tarps are some of these shelters they’re requesting, as well as ordinary tents that can fit a family. Although the tarps and tents don’t need to be new, they need to be in sturdy enough shape so that no repairs need to be made to the material before being donated. Additionally, they also request trucks to help distribute supplies. The estimated delivery time to Haiti is two to three weeks from donation.

Individuals are also organizing donations for tarps. In Hattiesburg, Mississippi, residents have started Operation Pitch-A-Tent to gather items, such as tarps, tents, and sleeping bags, instead of money to donate to relief efforts in Haiti. After enough of these supplies are gathered, the organization plans to ship them from Gulfport, MS, to Haiti.

Although both of these donation efforts are in the South, check locally for any organizations, companies, or individuals holding their own donation drives for tarps and tents.

Flatbed truck tarps are harder to come by, although various dealers of tarps carry sizes large enough to cover a load for either a flatbed or dump truck. For tarping your own flatbed, here are some of the highlights in the video:

• Have a forklift driver bring the tarp up to the top of the load. Applying the tarp needs to start from the top of the load and go down.
• Once the tarp surrounds the load, bungee cords need to go through all D-rings. The bungee cords are either attached through two D-rings or attached from a D-ring to the side of the flatbed truck.
• Flatbed tarps designed to cover a load of lumber in the video have side flaps. Although the tarp around the load is secured under the flaps, the flaps themselves shouldn’t be blown about by the wind, as any wind getting under the tarp can cause wind whip and tearing. This portion of the tarp should be secured with bungee cords after the rest of the tarp has been.
• All hooks attached to D-rings should face outward. Otherwise, the metal might cut through the tarp.

A portable garage or carport is often equipped to be somewhat fire resistant, be it a fully metal or metal and polyethylene canopy structure. Galvanized steel, which makes up the frames for both types of carports, is fire resistant up to a couple of hours without being altered. Polyethylene, in some cases, can be fire retardant. In fact, many canopies are built with fire retardant tarps that meet California fire codes, the most stringent in the United States. Not all canopies or polyethylene tarps are, however, but those that are can keep a fire contained within the shelter.

As mentioned in the linked article above, items inside the structure can become damaged, although the structure prevents the fire from spreading to a home or adjacent building if addressed in time. In the case of this article, the truck inside the carport was partially damaged by the fire. This is the case with all items stored in such portable outdoor shelters. Whether you use one for housing a seasonal vehicle like an RV or boat or use one for your car or just simply for storage, items inside will be damaged or destroyed by the fire, although your home should remain safe from the flames.

Some carports are designed for heavy snowfalls, rain, and winds, such as this rounded roof portable garage by Shelterlogic on Canopy Hut. Even if you don’t have this particular rounded design, peaked roof structures are designed to withstand snowfall, wind, and rain. Of course, these strengths for a carport or portable garage only work when the shelter is installed and maintained properly. Those in warmer climates may not consider snow a factor in keeping up their portable shelter, but even wind and rain can damage a shelter, as we saw a couple of weeks ago.

With the threat of snow approaching, check how your carport or portable garage is secured in the ground. Ask yourself, “Does the shelter move?” or is it stable? If it isn’t secured at all or is only partially secure, the structure needs better anchorage, including any of these anchorage accessories from Shelters of America. Additionally, check how well the structure is held together. Are joints rusted? Does the roof have holes? For both of these instances, old and rusted joints or metal parts should be replaced and a polyethylene roof with holes should be patched.

In the cold, such as the article appearing in the Cedar Valley Daily Times, ambulance workers in North Benton, IA bring tarps with them to crash sites. Wrapping the crash site with them, according to the linked article, keeps the wind out, and the rescue workers can help the crash victims better without the interference of wind. As parts of the United States have been experiencing more-than-average snowfalls and faster-than-average winds, more forces of nature could impede rescue efforts.

For a different emergency use, tarps are taken along by fire departments in Utica, New York to reduce water damage from fires. Automated sprinklers in homes or buildings can go off and this can result in water damage to rooms and any objects inside. Workers in such instances drape fire-retardant tarps over the future to prevent objects or the building from water damage as they put out the fire inside.

Upscale and historical neighborhoods, often one in the same, are often quick to put restrictions on what can and can’t be done to properties. In some cases, this can be painting a home a certain color or using certain materials – such as plastic for a fence – on one’s property. Other times, as we’ve seen in similar posts in the past, this means restricting the type of structures and how large they can be on one’s property. Adding a carport or a fence often means asking a neighborhood or city district for approval.

The historical neighborhood Hearn lives in wants her to take the structure down and have fined her for it. But, what if the structure added to the property has a practical purpose? Or, what if the structure isn’t visible from the street level? As we’ve seen before, some carports need to be small enough to be placed behind a house according to local zoning laws? In these cases, what should a resident do? While discussing with the neighborhood or city is a must to prevent fines, the town or neighborhood should consider the needs of its residents, as well.