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Nonprofit provides new roofs to homes damaged by Hurricane Irma

Volunteers from Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay and Spectrum came together to help rebuild two homes in West Tampa severely damaged after Hurricane Irma.
Credit: 10News Staff
A worker with Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay repairs a storm-damaged home.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It was a devastating 2017 hurricane season.

Storms such as Harvey, Irma and Maria, wreaked havoc on many Americans.

Some people in our community are still recovering from those disasters.

With meteorologists predicting another busy season, volunteers from Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay and Spectrum came together to help rebuild two homes in West Tampa severely damaged after Hurricane Irma.

Vallery Jafar has lived in her home for 32 years. The condition of her roof had been getting worse as the years passed.

When Hurricane Irma's strong winds whipped through Tampa Bay, Jafar's home took a hit.

“The most devastating part was a limb had fallen from a tree and hit the roof, and because of the soft area on the roof, there was a little stain like water had come through,” says Jafar.

Nearly seven months after the storm, Jafar has been living with a leaky roof with no hope of getting it fixed.

Prior to her retirement, she worked as a school bus driver and was an active member of the community until her knee injury affected her mobility.

“It was mixed emotions with me not working any longer and financial strain on how to get it repaired and what I would do in order to take care of it,” she says.

RTTB helped give Jafar a brand-new roof and paint her home -- work worth $17,000.

Next door, the organization also gave Jafar’s neighbor, Freddie Jenkins-Brown, a new roof.

Both homeowners say they feel prepared going into this hurricane season.

“The home before we got involved was literally in shambles, it was coming down in different places.,” says Joe Durkin, Spectrum director of communications. “They truly appreciate to have that peace of mind. If another storm comes, they're in a safer home.”

With funding provided by Spectrum, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay will replace 15 roofs of families impacted by Hurricane Irma.

They're also using additional funds provided by the City of Tampa to help sustain the unmet disaster recovery needs of several low-income residents.

If you need assistance with your home, you can contact Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay.

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