As Hurricane Francine barrels toward Baton Rouge, local roofing companies are working to prepare for an anticipated post-storm surge in demand.
Javier Lopez, a manager at Garcia Roofing, tells Daily Report that his company is “definitely” expecting to see an uptick in service requests in the coming days and weeks.
“Our entire staff is on call, including our repair technicians,” he says.
While damage assessments and roof repairs will take some time to work through, Lopez says Garcia Roofing is gearing up to provide emergency services like tarping as soon as it’s safe to get back on the road.
Red Stick Roofing of Louisiana is also preparing for an influx of calls.
“Our crews are ready,” says Tiffany Daigle, a company representative. “We have our materials and our tarps ready and our phone lines are open.”
Red Stick Roofing outsources its jobs to subcontractors, and Daigle says that while her team should have enough subcontractors on standby to cover the heightened demand, the company is prepared to call on additional crews if necessary.
Roof damage is one of the most common—and most costly—claims following a hurricane, and the condition and resilience of a roof often affects a homeowner’s ability to obtain and maintain insurance coverage.
In light of Louisiana’s ongoing property insurance crisis, the state in 2023 introduced the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program to help homeowners strengthen their roofs.
Through that program, eligible homeowners can receive $10,000 grants to upgrade their roofs to better withstand hurricane-force winds. Some 1,300 grants have been issued thus far, and registration for the next round of grants opens at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, and closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20.
