The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season included Hurricane Maria’s decimation of Puerto Rico; Maria and Irma’s extensive damage in the Virgin Islands; and Hurricane Harvey’s destruction to Texas, Louisiana and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys. In September 2018, the Southeast was hit with Hurricane Florence, which caused catastrophic damage and deaths in the Florida panhandle and the Carolinas, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding. And, more recently, 2019’s Hurricane Dorian became the most intense tropical cyclone and worst natural disaster to strike the Bahamas to date. Estimated damage as a product of these storms alone is estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
In the face of increasingly disastrous hurricanes, durable and resilient construction is more important than ever. As professionals in the industry, we know roofing materials used in both new and retrofit construction play a huge role in a structure’s ability to withstand intense storms and hurricanes. We now have to do a better job to ensure our customers — whether homeowner, business owner or other — understand the importance of building for resiliency with storm resistant materials and help them make the right decisions. As professionals overseeing such an important part of the structure, we also need to pay very close attention to weather patterns in our regions to ensure we are recommending and using the best possible materials on our projects.