After September's hurricanes, Houston, parts of Florida, Puerto Rico and numerous Caribbean islands require massive cleanup, demolition, and reconstruction of homes, commercial properties and vital infrastructure including roads and bridges.

Current estimates have this season's hurricane damage somewhere around $200 billion. In Texas, Hurricane Harvey damaged or destroyed more than 176,100 homes that will require major renovations or rebuilding. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hurricane Irma destroyed about 25% of the homes in the Florida Keys. The full scope of damage to Puerto Rico left by Hurricane Maria is still unclear.

As people, organizations, and businesses begin the recovery process, there is much work to be done. However, in the rush to get things done — putting families back into homes, making businesses fully operational and roads and bridges more travelable again — there needs to be greater attention to managing the risks that can accompany the increased and immediate demand for construction services.