Homes in Cape Coral lose roof tarps in Nicole’s winds

People in Cape Coral held their breath as the impacts of Nicole approached, with many worried that the tarps protecting their roofs would blow away.

For some, That concern became a reality. Tarps were left flapping in the wind with sandbags trying to keep them down to protect Linda Houck’s roof, which has already seen enough damage from Hurricane Ian.

“All the shingles were loose, the tiles, and we’ve had several people come by, talk with us about it. And we were concerned because we do have a leak in the lanai now. And the roof right now looks like it’s ready to fall in,” said Houck.

Because of the damage, Houck had to put tarps up, a temporary fix that needs to last a while.

“We’re about nine months out on getting new tiles for the roof. And we’re not even sure the insurance company is going to cover the cost of it,” Houck said.

With strong winds from Nicole, she was concerned if the tarps would hold up, and when she returned after the storm, she noticed one of those tarps was missing.

“I’m very concerned where it is. We certainly don’t want it to go into the canal, you know,” said Houck.

She’s not sure when she lost the tarp but said she was losing sandbags with the winds leading up to Nicole.

Some of her neighbors, like John Strobl, were lucky. His tarp stayed on.

“I was a little apprehensive, you know, that maybe it wasn’t secured properly. But you know, watched it overnight, actually. It seemed to stay in place,” said Strobl.

It was a sigh of relief after he said 80% of his shingles blew off during Ian.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a roof on some shingles before the next season,” said Strobl.