Hurricane Ida and Its Impact on the Roofing Industry

As the 6^th costliest hurricane on record, Hurricane Ida made it difficult to obtain materials. In an industry already hit hard by the pandemic, Hurricane Ida’s visit was less than welcome. With more than $50 billion in damages across multiple states, the demand for roofing materials soared. If you’ve been thinking of replacing or repairing your roof, you may be in for a wait. Not only are most contractors scheduling weeks or months out, but many are simply not taking on any more orders. The reasons for this are numerous, but the largest factor came with a name: Ida.

As a Category 4 hurricane, Ida is second only in amount of damage to Hurricane Katrina. Catastrophic flooding, wind damage and more were suffered by those in its path. After it was all over, many homes were destroyed. Those homes surviving suffered extensive roof damage. This surge in roofing repairs placed roofing contractors in a precarious situation: more work than workers, more work than supplies.

Materials and Workers in Short Supply

Unfortunately, recovery is delayed because of worker and supply shortages. Even if you don’t live in an area that was directly affected by this hurricane, you most likely will feel (or already are feeling) some of the ripple effects. Wonder why your roofing contractors are scheduling for many months in advance? It takes that long to get supplies and schedule workers. You can also thank Ida for the disrupted supply lines bringing the needed materials for construction and repair projects, too. Hurricane Ida’s impact to the roofing industry is significant, and in turn, to consumers as well.

Roofing Contractors and Material Availability

While we primarily do tile roofing, we have also seen a tightening of material availability. Even adhesives and fasteners have taken longer to receive. Because the cost of trucking and available drivers for the trucks has increased, the cost of supplies has gone up. The refineries and factories responsible for producing the base materials are stressed because contractors had to substitute products, or make do with alternatives. Many of these factories simply shut down, making the number of suppliers available even fewer. This, in turn, drives the costs up. Wonder why your roofing job was quoted significantly higher than this time last year? In a word: Ida.

The Perfect Storm

Add to the catastrophe that was Ida, the shipping crisis that saw 44 cargo ships stuck in California. Many analysts are predicting that this bottleneck will put many roofing contractors out of business. If you can’t get the materials or the workers, then you can’t do the work that needs to be done. This comes on the heels of the 2020 Covid-19 impact that saw many roofing contractors sitting idle. Just as it was rebounding and the construction industry as a whole was on the brink of recovery, Ida happened. 93% responded in a recent poll stating that they lacked enough workers or supplies. Pricing has gone up as much as 13%, and prices for milled products rose even higher than that.

If you’re interested in exploring roofing options, call Cache Roofing today at 904.887.ROOF for a free consultation.