Hundreds of thousands of people are scrambling to set up repairs to their homes after a pair of devastating hurricanes struck Houston and Florida over the last few weeks.
CBS News reports that it may take years for many homeowners to rebuild due to labor and material shortages. The housing industry was already struggling to find quality workers and affordable materials before Hurricane Harvey struck the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Irma hit Florida. Now, the backlog will continue to grow.
Builders and contractors are having trouble finding carpenters, electricians, concrete workers, cement masons, and drywall installers, among other skilled positions.
Worse yet, many contractors outside of Texas and Florida are leery of joining in the rebuilding effort. They can find safer and more lucrative jobs closer to home.
In Florida, the magnitude of damage from Irma is still coming into focus. But the widespread flooding means Florida will have to compete with Texas for many of the same materials and laborers. Irma spread its destruction over a vast territory, covering all of Florida and causing major damage to Georgia as well.
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