HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Homeowners who had their roofs damaged by Typhoon Mawar can now contact their village mayors about applying for a temporary metal roofing program, called the Roofing Installation Support Emergency Utilization Program, or RISE UP.
“It’s a program that gives you a roof over your head, and I encourage our people to do more permanent repairs to their structures. I encourage people to use (Federal Emergency Management Agency) assistance, use (Small Business Administration) loans, use American Red Cross to get to a more permanent solution,” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said Friday during a press conference on the launch of the program.
The U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers launched the program in coordination with FEMA, the Office of the Governor, Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense and the Mayors’ Council of Guam.
“I just want to say to the people, they are not there to build your home,” Leon Guerrero added during the press conference at GHS/OCD in Agana Heights. “They are there to put a roof over your head.”
Residents do not need to register with FEMA to qualify for the program, and qualifying for and participating in the program also won’t affect other forms of federal disaster assistance, such as those provided by FEMA.
Moreover, there is no income requirement, nor do residents need to be U.S. citizens to qualify for the program, but there are various eligibility requirements for RISE UP.
The emergency roof-repair assistance is limited to pre-disaster owner-occupied residences, according to the Joint Information Center. Commercial properties, including rental units, are ineligible.
Residences must have roof damage caused by the typhoon that impacts the habitability of the home. Dwellings must also be structurally sound, and only dwellings that can be safely occupied after the emergency roof repairs have been completed are eligible. Homes affected by disaster-caused utility outages are not disqualified based on that alone, according to JIC.
About 50% of the roof structure, meaning rafters and trusses, must remain. The Army Corps of Engineers will determine if that requirement is met, JIC said.
“The damaged roof must cover indoor living space completely enclosed by walls,” JIC stated. “Living space includes facilities for cooking, eating, sleeping and sanitation. Outdoor kitchens with a damaged roof covering will qualify to the extent that it covers the dwelling’s only means of cooking and storing food. Garages, carports, porches, etc. do not qualify.”
Repairs will be performed only on pre-disaster metal roofs. Roofs made with concrete, slate, asbestos, clay tile or other materials are not covered by the program.
How to apply
There is a three-step process to apply for the program:
• Contact your village mayor about applying.
• Roof damage is assessed for eligibility.
• If eligible, a temporary metal roof is installed.
Homes that can’t be assessed will not be eligible for the program. Accessibility is the responsibility of the resident and the government of Guam, according to JIC.
How quickly temporary roofs can be installed will be based largely on the number of requests and size of the area impacted, JIC stated in the release.
Leon Guerrero said Friday that work likely will begin in the northern villages, which received the brunt of the damage from Typhoon Mawar.
Hundreds of homes likely qualify
Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio said Friday that officials are estimating, as a baseline, that about 250 homes will qualify for the program.
“But there are further opportunities to grow that number and confirm that number,” Tenorio added. “That estimate was based on some flyovers.”
Damage assessments conducted after Mawar’s passage estimated 602 homes destroyed. This was reported to President Joe Biden when the governor requested FEMA individual assistance and Small Business Disaster Assistance in late May.
“There are going to be homes that are likely not eligible because they were already in a much more deteriorated state,” Tenorio said. “For that population, I just want to say that GovGuam, the Office of Homelessness Assistance and Poverty Prevention, American Red Cross, the (Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority) – we are already engaged in discussions, looking for the long-term well-being of families that may not be able to go home.”
There is a three-step process to apply for the program:
• Contact your village mayor about applying.
• Roof damage is assessed for eligibility.
• If eligible, a temporary metal roof is installed.
