After cleanup, we decided to replace the traitorous asbestos roofing with concrete. Asbestos roofing is a terrible choice for the area, given that essentially none of the structures with asbestos roofing materials in the area survived the hurricane. Moreover, the streets were and are still filled with fragments of roofing. Feet and tires grind them into powder, which then certainly disperses into the air. Kids not only play soccer on the street, but actually play with the asbestos roofing fragments. Here is a photo of a little play house that the neighbors’ kids made. No one in town knows that asbestos causes cancer and when told have a hard time believing it because the material is so familiar. But a quick search on Google Scholar reveals links between asbestos roofing and cancer. The only advantage of the stuff is that it’s cheap.
So, we finally got around to replacing the potting shed porch roof with a concrete roof, ready for the next hurricane.