Investigation of contemporary problems and practices in post-hurricane reconstruction in the commercial sector of the southeast region of the United States

The thesis addresses the problems faced by contractors during the recovery and rebuilding process after hurricanes that struck the southeast region of the United States in 2004-2005 hurricane seasons. It also deals with the practices they normally use to solve such problems. First, through literature review, six possible problems were identified, which were then used to gather information about the major problems faced by the construction industry in post-hurricane projects. The possible problems were site logistics, material transportation, labor, political influences, building permits and site location. Data were then collected via surveys of 450 contractors involved in post-hurricane construction in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. The analysis showed that three of those problems - site logistics, labor and material transportation were identified as major problems among the respondents. The remaining were considered as problems, but not major ones in post-hurricane reconstruction projects. The study recommends practices, such as better planning, scheduling, coordination, supply chain management and use of experienced site personnel, for tackling the problems of site logistics and material transportation. Outsourcing labor was one of the methods suggested to improving conditions with regards to labor problems. The research identifies the problems and provides a list of possible solutions to these problems, as used by the contractors of such projects. Therefore, by using the suggested practices, post-hurricane reconstruction projects can be beneficial for contractors, and the outlook towards these projects as being less profitable can be changed.