Whenever a natural disaster occurs, there is a wave of devastation that typically follows and it has to be cleaned up. While not all regions of the United States are susceptible to hurricanes, the aftermath of hurricanes, tropical storms, and other extreme weather conditions can have a significant impact on the roofing industry throughout the entire country. Understanding how storms affect the roofing industry helps you plan for realistic repair timeframes in the wake of a large storm.
Emergency Work
The most obvious way hurricanes and other extreme weather events affect the roofing industry is hurricane roof damage. It’s likely that many homes in the direct path of the hurricane have damaged roofs that need repairs or replacement as soon as possible to minimize further water and wind damage.
This means that any available roofing contractors in the area will be needed as soon as possible, and will likely stay very busy for weeks on end. And depending on the contractor’s proximity to the path of the hurricane, they may be dealing with the aftermath of the storm themselves, such as damage to their trucks, buildings and supply storage.
Storms Travel
Another significant reason the roofing industry is affected by hurricanes and tropical storms is that they travel. For example, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana and caused immense damage there before moving on through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and multiple other states as far as Virginia and Delaware. While the most significant damage occurred in southern Louisiana, the flooding, wind and rain and tornadoes tore through the rest of the states in its path for days afterward.
Every single state and area affected by this one particular storm required emergency roof work that impacted their local roofing industry. Storms like this can cause significant backlogs of roof work that will make it more difficult for homeowners to get non-storm related damage repaired. The impact of damage can also be felt in neighboring areas that escaped the storm, due to the increased need for roofing professionals in the damaged areas.
Supply and Demand Issues
Finally, hurricanes, tropical storms and other significant weather events impact the roofing industry on a national level through supply and demand issues. Roofing material manufacturers typically produce materials based on a steady supply and demand chain.
However, when a devastating storm tears through the country, the demand for new roofing materials skyrockets, as many homes that were not in need of a new roof before the storm suddenly need one - and need it fast! To make matters worse, the availability of roofing materials can be further impacted if the storm occurs in the region of the manufacturer. If the factories sustain damage, it can create an even larger backlog as they work to get their output levels back to normal.
In this way, even roofing companies on the other side of the country from affected areas can feel the impact of the storm. And customers who didn’t think twice about what was happening in the news, suddenly realize it wasn’t an isolated incident and they will be affected.
Cenvar Roofing
Cenvar Roofing is proud to serve customers throughout the state of Virginia with high quality roofing services. In the wake of a devastating storm, we are proud to be among the first to respond to roofing emergencies across the region, and guarantee that you will be satisfied with the finished result, no matter what the circumstances surrounding the roof replacement were.
If you have questions about damage to your home or roof, whether from a storm or some other cause, please schedule a free estimate and we’ll be in contact soon!
