Applying tarps – specifically over the roofing materials – is one approach to working through the rain or snow. In an “Ask The Builder” column from NorthJersey.com, a writer asking about construction and home improvement projects in the rain is advised that such work is possible – but under specific limitations. While foundation can be installed and pre-fabricated components are additional options, tarps assist with protecting roofing work. Because water, ice, and snow damage a roof, regardless of whether the underlying materials are exposed or not, adding new sheathing or shingles during a storm is not advised. However, to prevent a partial job from becoming damaged, throw a few tarps on top to protect the sheathing. Once the storm has passed, the polyethylene can be removed, and the workers may resume the project.

Temporarily covering a roofing project merges the qualities of baseball and hurricane tarps. The latter, made out of medium-duty polyethylene, is added to prevent further damage after a storm, such as a hurricane or tornado, as mold, mildew, and water can enter from a small crack. Hurricane tarps, however, are a temporary solution, and the roof must be repaired within 90 days.

Baseball tarps, on the other hand, are heavy-duty polyethylene and are rolled out onto a field at the first sign of rain. Although the game stops with the weather, a muddy field often delays a season’s schedule of practices. The baseball tarp, with a weighted perimeter, keeps the ground dry, and practice or a game resumes once the storm passes over.

Because of this need, towns are low on cleanup supplies, including tarps, and need basic items like food and clothing. Making a donation to a relief organization or volunteering is recommended.

If this sounds like your situation, a few points need to be taken into consideration when using tarps to cover a damaged roof or siding:

• Realize that tarps are only temporary. Ideally, the polyethylene material should only be kept on for 90 days; before that point, seek out a contractor to assess the damage and fix your home.
• Apply the tarp correctly. Throwing a tarp over a crack on your roof won’t protect the inside of your home; instead, the tarp will just blow off. The tarp needs to be attached directly to the surface of the roof, and usually boards and nails, as well as the right tools, are needed for this. Before the storm hits, make sure you have this basic cleanup supplies.
• Never stand directly on your roof to apply a tarp. You may end up causing more damage to the structure or, worse, could fall off and become hurt.
• Make sure you have enough tarps. A tornado or hurricane can damage your roof in multiple areas, and all spots need to be temporarily repaired. For preparation, have a few tarps available before the storm hits.

Brick-and-mortar hardware stores are running out of tarps, which are now in demand for roof repairs. As you can see, brick-and-mortar locations are not always the most reliable for supplies. Stores run out of tarps, nails, or boards quickly when a product is in demand and need to order new supplies. Rather than depending on a brick-and-mortar store for last-minute supplies, pre-order them ahead of the storm season. Several websites exclusively sell tarps or also offer tarps and hurricane supplies.

At the same time, the demand for roofing contractors in Wisconsin increased, and those in the area are unable to keep up with the workload. As a result, those waiting for roof repairs of any kind – tarping or repairing a roof – need to wait longer. Because water can seep into your home during this time, waiting for an overworked contractor to tarp your roof may result in more interior water damage or mold buildup. Before a storm hits, know how to repair your roof and then contact a contractor to fix the damage. In the meantime, the water stays out of your home.

Because this area of Wisconsin is considered a disaster zone, insurance companies are being flooded with claims, and con artists posing as contractors are taking advantage of those needing roof repairs. If you find yourself in this situation, always verify the contractor about to work on your home is legitimate. Any roofing contractor needs to be insured and bonded — ask a contractor for this information – and, in general, workers in operation for several years are more reliable.

Your home, including roofs and windows, may be damaged after an earthquake. The next time rain comes, cracks may let water in. Before this happens, check your roof for any damaged areas. If you do find damage, add a medium-duty blue tarp over the area. Having multiple tarps is recommended, as even smaller damage may pervade the surface of your roof.

Tarps, however, should not be used alone – they’ll blow off. In addition to having a few tarps on hand, have supplies for attaching them, including boards, nails, and hammers.

Aside from using tarps, you can create a disaster relief shelter from an enclosed portable garage. Designed for temporary use in disasters, enclosed portable garages are made with a powder-coated or galvanized steel frame, which holds up to 95 mile per hour winds and heavy snow.

Portable garages have tarps on all sides of the shelter. Made out of heavy-duty polyethylene, these tarps are treated to be UV resistant, waterproof, mildew resistant, and rot proof.

Aside from shelter, food needs to be part of your emergency preparedness plan. If you do not already have a food storage with basic items like grains and beans in your home, purchase an emergency food kit. Containing various freeze-dried or dehydrated foods that just need water, such kits contain individual foods that last two weeks to two years. If you need emergency food quickly, consider purchasing a kit in which all foods are stored in a portable plastic pail.

Nevertheless, when such tarps go up after a storm, they sometimes don’t come down. A property that never repairs its roof eventually becomes an eyesore, and the rest of the roof may start to rot or deteriorate as well. A roof tarp should only be used for 90 days, in general. During that time, you need to contact a contractor to assess and fix the damage.

To combat this blight, some towns are creating ordinances that specify the amount of time tarps can be put up. The Star Tribune describes the situation in Inver Grove Heights, Minn., and although the need to fix up the neighborhood does not appear particularly pressing, tarps have been left on unfinished houses for nearly five years.

The ordinance has only been proposed at this time. However, if it goes into effect, residents will need to remove their tarps or similar material after a year and have the project completed within that time, as well. Other towns in the area have even shorter restrictions of six months. Some residents, on the other hand, do not think the ordinance in Inver Grove Heights will be effective. Instead, the ordinance will just lead to ticketing on unfinished properties, and those stiffed or scammed by contractors will start to face fines.

Once you put up a tarp, check your local ordinances. Although not all towns have such restrictions on the time tarps can be up, others do, and this time period may be as short as 10 days.

The Brisbane Times reports on similar struggles in the Queensland area of Australia, an isolated part that has ravaged recently by cyclones. After the storm, the rain damages the interiors of residents’ homes. The Opposition Emergency Services spokesman has created a solution to assist the isolated area with supplies for storms: tarp stockpiles. As supplies are not easily available to Queensland residents, the Opposition Emergency Services spokesman suggests that each town in the area have a specific storage space for tarps, reserved only for storms.

This proposal for towns in Queensland should be a solution for those in disaster-prone areas all over. As tarps are easily available online through stores like A1Tarps.com and WholesaleTarp.net, purchasing a bulk supply long before a storm arrives is helpful. While you cannot anticipate the damage your home may experience, being prepared with too many supplies put you in a better place than having insufficient materials for repairing a cracked or caved in roof.

Homes may experience even minor damage after a hurricane or tornado, and a tarp should be placed over this area to prevent water from entering your space and causing mold or mildew to form. Make sure you have enough supplies to last through a few storms or a season, depending upon the degree of weather in your area, before the first hurricane or tornado hits.

Back when the earthquake happened, many were sending tarps and supplies to Haiti to be used as temporary shelter. Various organizations donated tarps to Haiti but, it appears, that these tarps are still the only material being used for shelter in Port-Au-Prince. But while tarps are designed for temporary shelter, they shouldn’t be used for more than 90 days. Eight months is too long of a time to be using tarps.

With UV resistance and a waterproof surface, polyethylene tarps are ideal for keeping out sun and water. Nevertheless, the material, no matter how effective against the elements, doesn’t hold up to a standard shelter. While funds are tied up, other organizations are taking it upon themselves to build new homes in Port-Au-Prince to replace the tarps.

According to the story from the Eden Prairie News, The Builders Association of the Twin Cities and Builders Outreach are partnering with World Wide Village to build new, basic homes in Haiti. Their proposed homes will be made from concrete block and will measure 24 by 24 feet square. No bathrooms will be added.

Although from certain standards these dwellings sound meager on the surface, they’ll provide far more protection than tents created from tarps. Hurricane season is almost over, but volunteers to build these homes won’t arrive in Haiti until December.

These various New England towns, in particular, are getting ready for the storm, as the last hurricane to hit the area occurred in the mid-1980s. Much like the press release from the Red Cross, this article discusses supplies, such as tarps, flying off shelves.

A homeowner, in this case, should have at least a few tarps at home. As we’ve mentioned in posts in the past, roofs, as well as windows and lights, can experience damage from storms, and blue poly tarps give temporary protection until a contractor can assess the damage.

Of course, even contractors aren’t entirely honest and, because of the increase in need for them after hurricanes, North Carolina recently put into effect its price gouging law. As this article from News and Record explains, the price gouging law prevents workers like contractors from upping prices and overcharging customers in a time of crisis.

Nevertheless, as all of these recent news stories indicate, preparation before and after the storm is essential. Develop a plan in case of disaster. Have the necessary supplies on hand. And, know how to tarp a roof. In addition to having multiple tarps on hand before the storm, make sure you have boards and nails for securing the material.

According to the linked article above, many in Hannibal are using tarps as a long-term solution, instead of contacting a contractor to fix the damage. As someone is quoted as describing the tarps coming up like “mushrooms,” the ubiquitous roof tarps are both a practical and aesthetic concern around town. For the latter, the tarps covering roofs and broken lights – also a source of leaks – simply aren’t nice to look at. On a practical level, however, the tarps and the roofing materials start to rot and, if the material isn’t properly secured, it blows off the roof and onto a telephone pole.

As a solution, the town has decided that those using roof tarps will need to remove them after 10 days or pay a fine. This isn’t absolute, however, and those waiting on a contractor (a common occurrence after a storm) and those unable to pay for the damage will be taken into consideration.

Although 10 days is a short time to repair a roof, this ordinance serves as motivation to get residents to remove their tarps. Medium-duty polyethylene material, which is used in these instances, can be left outdoors for 90 days as part of a temporary repair or short-term solution. Nevertheless, protecting the home from water damage and mold not only comes from the tarp but also its application. A tarp must not be able to fly off a roof and, instead, should be secured in place.

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.