One challenge that has been proven tough to manage regards construction companies. Contractors in the area are pivoting all efforts to remodeling, demolition, and repairs. Due to time constraints, construction estimates have been sloppy and inaccurate, causing lost revenues and hurting local construction contractors. At the same time, those in the area who have lost their office jobs are flooding into the construction industry as all these jobs become available, this is good to fill the labor shortage, but forces local companies to hire unfit candidates. 

However, companies from areas not affected, which have all of their machinery unaffected and fully staffed with qualified workers, have been traveling into the region and price gouging, taking advantage of their upper hand in the situation. “The Attorney General just filed a case against a contractor out of Durham that was here price gouging people, which was great,” Cope said. “I hope they make an example out of that.”

There are donations and government subsidies aimed to assist the local contractors in the construction efforts.

Reference: https://www.wncbusiness.com/2025/02/14/522236/builders-tackle-restoration-and-recovery-in-western-north-carolina