The current wintery weather in the United States is indeed stormy and chilling, and its impact is indeed adverse on construction sites. We will however be discussing the impact of hurricanes on the cities present on the southern coastline of the United States.
Though these areas may have a hint of a silver lining for companies involved in repairing buildings and reconstructing them (infrastructure and whole areas included), these sea storms have disrupted and delayed numerous construction projects (especially those in progress).
In most instances, projects associated with the construction industry have experienced expensive delays and rising costs for construction work. Let us now have a good look at the factors associated with the adverse effects of Hurricanes on construction sites.
Rising expenses and delays from contractors
One of the first concerns related to hurricanes is the loss of life and loss of, and damage to, properties. The core focus for public sector firms is to check for these issues in a routine manner. Yet the focus for construction is the status of completion and any delays in projects underway.
Delays in construction
Usually, only certain kinds of delay are addressed in most contracts and are considered to be excusable under a particular set of conditions. This rule thus provides for an extension to a decided construction schedule.
Hurricanes are considered as force majeure events, so hence contractors are often entitled to an extension in the schedule but not recovery of a rise in cost for the contractor’s work.
This produced a lot of potential room for disputes concerning views of contractors and owners, and how much time is actually allowed for an extension in the schedule, and which costs are considered relevant to damages caused by hurricanes.
Dispute avoidance experts reveal that such a thing impacts the subcontractors and suppliers, and thus raises potential for disputes regarding viewpoints of owners and contractors. This comes in view of time allowed for extending schedules, and which rising costs should be considered in view of the hurricane.
This can impact contractors, suppliers and subcontractors, and thus leads to conflicts and other problems between contractors, owners and other people involved.
Delays caused by impact of hurricanes
As costly and disruptive hurricanes are, issues of changed conditions at construction sites are equally bad. These are conditions which are different in reality when compared with what was specified in the paperwork plus different from the contractor’s estimate too.
Changed conditions are however not altered site environments consisting of partially completed and permanent facilities being damaged. They are hidden and changed conditions which cause delays and lead to construction claims and disputes.
In short, the fundamental building blocks and cost sectors of construction are badly impacted. Cost of labor, and its supply, plus that of both equipment and materials is harmed.
A lot of impacts can somehow be identified and calculated, some are quite subtle. Cost of fuel, disruptions due to insurance and modifications in design to current and future construction plans hence adds more fuel to the fire.
Impact on materials and equipment
For owners, managing construction materials can be a problem. Contractors on projects also find it hard to protect the materials from stormy weather. The project itself is at the mercy of weather changes and tropical cyclones worsen the situation. In case of hurricanes, construction sites can get destroyed.
The impact relevant to construction materials is not just simply because of costs and supply chain issues, but also due to complying with certain specifications and from the view point of quality control too.
When supply chains of construction materials face disruption, suppliers will usually provide materials that often meet specifications but materials are sourced from overseas producers. Also, the standards of those materials are different in terms of both chemical composition and dimensional control.
Most suppliers themselves are not aware of the differences in materials unless and until on site personnel identify the shortcomings either during testing or application or mixing.
Impact of hurricanes on availability of construction equipment
Availability of construction equipment can become an issue whenever a hurricane comes in. This contributes towards a sharp drop in performance of labor and other personnel. Some contractors and equipment rental firms may move equipment from one site and relocate it to the other for the sake of better hourly rates and of course, a potentially long term robust income.
Work sites that are badly impacted by hurricanes Are at the mercy of such a storm. A high capacity crane can come falling down even if the contract specified a 70 ton one over a 120 ton one. Additionally the conditions of work sites are changed and additional scope of work needs to be determined to see whether or not more equipment is needed.
All kinds of facilities experience the same kind of difficulties whenever hurricanes lash down on construction sites.
At times, the availability of labor after a hurricane is quite difficult
Reduced field labor productivity is a phenomenon which happens both before and after a hurricane came in. It is the result of a multitude of factors like lack of materials and equipment, disruption in work related processes, work site access problems or all of them. Most of the time, weather induced damages cause such problems.
A reduction in labor productivity can also happen due to the loss of property, vehicles and other assets. This causes anxiety among them as they are unsure of their future. In short, anyone who became homeless due to a natural disaster or any other matter may not be able to work properly until and unless their sheltering needs are met.
Additionally, field inspections, field supervision, along with quality control processes might be absent from construction work and may not be done on construction sites. This leads to disruptions in work, and adverse impact on construction labor.
Subcontractors and their labor pool are hit negatively due to influx of unskilled labor especially after the events of a hurricane or a catastrophic weather problem. Additionally, new subcontractors may not be much experienced and may be unfamiliar with a new area where construction work is going on.
They also may not be licensed, may face issues due to new work scope, aren’t properly insured, have no or negligent staff or may not be experienced in the kind of work assigned. At times, they may have all that’s needed from them but the work conditions are a problem.
Conclusion
Hurricanes are not a good thing to endure. They have the potential to overturn and ruin all potentially good construction projects. They are however a n act of nature and something which cannot be controlled by man.
Hurricanes are a work of God, and we can hope and pray things will be better soon. Construction companies should work together with municipalities, state bodies and other companies to reduce the effects of hurricane induced disasters, move all equipment and materials to safety and places where they can be safe and be protected from getting spoiled.
The 2017 Hurricane Harvey which struck Houston was among the worst ones to ever have struck an American city. With damages of USD$ 125 billion, reconstruction was a herculean task. Thankfully things have been better and are improving, but they serve as a reminder of the things a hurricane can cause and why construction in southern coastal cities of the United States be taken seriously.
