Story updated 11/7
NEW ORLEANS — Supply issues and inflation are causing problems for roofing companies looking to keep up with demand. Unfortunately, it may also be motivating people to steal roofing supplies wherever they find them.
According to CBS-affiliated WWL-TV, thieves stole 270 bundles of new roof shingles from the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, which they say is enough to roof four homes. The shingles were donated and had a value of roughly $15,000. The theft reportedly took place 3:18 a.m. on Oct. 30, with the suspects removing the shingles from a fenced area behind the Habitat office building.
The nonprofit organization is seeking donations to help recover from the incident. Donations can be made on the Habitat website.
"It's kind of, very frustrating knowing that we could’ve done so much with those resources but now they’re gone," Jay Huffstatler of New Orleans Habitat for Humanity told WWL-TV.
Habitat for Humanity works with low-income families to help them build and finance new, safe and affordable homes. The national organization often partners with roofing companies to help build homes, and in some cases, helps choose the recipients of free roof installations provided by programs like the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project. Huffstatler is urging anyone who may recognize the thieves, or know anyone who suddenly has a lot of singles or new tools to call the police.
WWL-TV reports this isn't the first time the nonprofit was targeted by thieves. Two weeks ago, thieves broke into one of the New Orleans organization's storage pods and removed $4,500 worth of tools.
Deputies with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office arrested a Gramercy, La. man on Nov. 15, 2021, after he allegedly stole several packs of shingles worth more than $7,000 from a LaPlace business on Nov. 5. Earlier this year, a suspect was caught on camera stealing roofing materials from a Florida condominium, and in Texas, officers with the San Antonino Police Department arrested a man who allegedly stole roofing supplies from construction sites and resold them online.
