Southwest Louisiana has seen its fair share of blue tarps on homes in recent years. With hurricane season beginning on June 1, now is the time to be prepared in case an emergency situation strikes.

The Southwest Louisiana Veterans Association has partnered with Houston-based non-profit Every Shelter to distribute FEMA-approved emergency roof patch kits as part of a pilot program for local veterans.

Every Shelter volunteer John O’Donnell, who is helping coordinate the pilot program, said the organization creates shelters for refugees in places where people need it.

“They were doing it so innovatively, they were creating these shelter solutions from recycled vinyl and recycled styrofoam and the environmental side of me kind of perked up a little bit and I became really interested,” O’Donnell said.

Once O’Donnell contacted Every Shelter, he learned about the patch kit. That’s when he started working with them to get the word out.

The patch kit is 100 percent made in the U.S. The kit includes one tarp, nails and step-by-step installation instructions.

“The tarp is super easy to put up. If you can swing a hammer you can put this tarp up. The kit comes with the nails — it comes with everything you need, including the instructions and a video about where and how to place it. It makes it really accessible for those that need it,” O’Donnell said.

Small, smart intervention can prevent bigger damage and keep people safe after a storm, he said.

“For example, with my own roof, we didn’t lose the whole roof, we just had enough of a hole in it that enough water got in the walls where we had to gut the whole home. This can bridge that gap between the hole in the roof and getting a new roof,” O’Donnell said.

The tarp will last longer than a blue tarp because of the UV specifications that it has and because it is made out of recycled billboard, according to O’Donnell.

David Soileau and Warren Vandever co-own Integrity Homes, a veteran-owned contracting company that started in 2020 after Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

“Myself and Warren served our country and we both just want to serve. We’re kind of done with the national service, but we still want to serve the community at least. When John brought the opportunity for us to be involved, it let us have a bigger way to serve the community and be ready for the next event,” Souileau said.

“We really wanted to partner up with what John’s (O’Donnell) got going on. We have a big heart for the community, especially here in Southwest Louisiana, and want to make sure people get taken care of — mitigation is key, you need a dry place to stay and by having these tarps available can make a huge impact in keeping you safe,” Souileau said.

For more information on the Emergency Roof Patch Kits visit www.emergencytarp.org.