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The newest thing in pitch roofs

Old vinyl billboards are seeing new life as roof covers for storm-damaged homes, replacing deteriorating government-issue blue tarps.

PENSACOLA - The black-and-white painted faces of the rock band Kiss peer from the roof of Dana Morris' home in suburban Gulf Breeze. A plumbing service's ad adorns the top of Allan Weaver's auto repair shop in Pensacola.

They are among the first victims of Hurricane Ivan to take advantage of an offer by Lamar Advertising Co., of Baton Rouge, La., to donate used vinyl billboard ads to cover roofs damaged by the Sept. 16 storm until owners can get permanent repairs.

Many of the thousands of blue plastic tarps that the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided immediately after the storm are wearing out and cracking from the sun's rays, wind and rain. FEMA won't replace them.

The billboard coverings, however, are the first protection Weaver and Lois Justice, his partner in Higgins Automotive, have put on their shop's roof.

"People with houses, they needed roofs worse than we did, so we didn't get a FEMA blue roof," Weaver said. "Now that we have these we'll wait until summer or even next year so the people who need a roof at home can get one first."

The billboard material is thicker, more resistant to damage from ultraviolet light and designed to last longer than the FEMA tarps.

Many victims of the four hurricanes that struck Florida last year are having a hard time finding roofers or obtaining insurance settlements to pay for repairs.

Morris, a lawyer, resorted to the Kiss billboard covering because insurance money he has received so far has been insufficient to repair all the damage at his Gulf Breeze home. He, his wife and their two children are staying in a Pensacola apartment until it can be fixed.

If the insurance doesn't work out, Morris mused about the possibility of using the billboard covering as a revenue source.

"When I get a new roof, I think I'm going to clean it up and sell it on eBay," he joked.

The billboard coverings can be put on with the ads facing up or down. Weaver said he didn't mind having them facing up as long as they didn't advertise alcohol, tobacco or anything indecent.

Justice said the slogan-emblazoned roof reminded her of ads once painted on the sides or roofs of old country barns.

Nearly 200 people have contacted United Way, which is coordinating distribution locally, for the coverings in the Panhandle and they have attracted interest from elsewhere in Florida.

"I know there are people down here who could use them, too," said Melanie Haight, manager of a state disaster recovery center in Palm Bay. "Our tarps are UV-ed from the sun, or they now are having leaks that they didn't have before."

[Last modified February 15, 2005, 01:15:09]