CAPE CORAL, Fla– A year after Ian, Roofing experts say only about 50 to 60% of Cape Coral residents affected by the Hurricane have their roofs fully repaired.
LEE COUNTY, Fla. — When Ian ripped off half her roof, Chris Laumeyer was inside her home off Del Prado and Southeast 41st Terrace.
“It was scary because you heard the shingles pop off, one after the other, but you couldn’t go outside to see how bad the damage really was,” said Laumeyer.
A year later, the damage to her home has only gotten worse. “Every rainstorm, you wonder where the next leak will come from. The tarp is very worn at this point from the sun. It’s very brittle.” said Laumeyer.
She’s still battling to pay for the complete repair with her insurance company. “We got estimates from several different roofers, and they were between $28,000 and $39,000. The insurance was only willing to pay $15,000,” said Laumeyer.
Charles Smith, a project and sales manager with SCM Roofing, says that is the number one reason you still see blue tarps in Cape Coral. He estimates only 50 to 60% of residents have had their roofs fully fixed.
“We’re hoping by the end of next year, it will be fixed. But I think we’re going to be working on roofs for the next couple of years because of Ian,” said Smith.
Smith says SCM gets about two calls a week requesting repairs on roofs already fixed after the Hurricane. He blames this on phony contractors.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people right after the storm just wanted the fastest person to get out there. They just wanted the roof to stop leaking,” said Smith.
Before hiring a contractor, Smith says to check the reviews. That will save you money in the long run.
Meantime, people like Laumeyer are getting fed up with waiting.
“It does need to be fixed, and it needs to be fixed soon because we can’t do anything about here’s a leak, there’s a leak. It’s just really frustrating, and it makes me very, very angry,” said Laumeyer.
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