NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The Fortify Homes Program is back online, focused on strengthening the roofs of Louisiana homeowners to better withstand hurricane-force winds. In 2023, the program ran on a first-come first-served basis. However, this year it will be a lottery system to determine who will be selected as a recipient. "Last time they did it as first-come first-serve, and it was a train wreck. It was just horrid, but it worked out. There were 3,000 people that got grants, and most of them have fortified roofs at this point; but the lottery system is going to make this a lot less stressful," Compass Inspection Services Owner Ashley van der Meulen said. 500+ Kenner homes flooded, officials seek financial aid If you are selected through this random lottery, you will have the opportunity to choose your home evaluator who will then do a pre-inspection. "The first thing we do is we want to go out and examine the house to make sure that it meets the basic requirements for a fortified roof," Asset Evaluation Services Owner Paul Pablovich said. If your home qualifies, the home owner is then notified to select a roofer to install the fortified roof. Once it's done, the evaluator returns to the home to document if the roof met fortified standard. Federal aid available for Terrebonne Parish Hurricane Francine victims "Then the evaluator files for a certificate, and then when we get the certificate, we send it to the homeowner and to the state and the state pays the roofer $10,000," van der Meulen said. In total, 300 homeowners will be selected to receive a grant while 200 will be placed on a wait list. "I looked into this program because my roof was replaced for Hurricane Ida so I'm coming up on, you know, 3 to 4 years, so you know I'm tryna stay ahead of the curve and apply for the program hopefully, so I can stay on top of my insurance… Keep that low for the time being," grant applicant Zach Mesman said. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Delgado's Joe Scheuermann named to Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame's 2025 class Registration of Fortify Homes Program opens for Louisiana homeowners Protecting Your Privacy: How to protect against internet network hackers What to do if your car has flood damage Election preparation in Louisiana: Secretary of State shares update