Adapting and Rebuilding: How the Construction Industry Strengthens Communities After Natural Disasters

Last year ranked as the fourth costliest since 1980 for weather and climate disasters – a troubling benchmark. With natural disasters striking harder and more often, construction companies are on the front lines of rebuilding stronger, more resilient communities. To do so, they need a clear roadmap for restoring community infrastructure and properties that can better withstand the impact of future natural disasters.

Strengthening Future Resilience

Building for resilience requires an adaptable strategy, as building requirements continue to shift in response to changing risks, regulations and community needs. The construction industry plays a critical role in identifying structural vulnerabilities for future disasters, often beginning with the restoration of critical infrastructure and facilities – such as hospitals and schools – as prioritized by local governments. 

Proactive planning and clear communication with owners and community stakeholders are essential to reduce disruptions, speed up recovery and fortify against more natural disasters down the road. After each event, construction companies should ask:

• What long-term exposures do we need to address when replacing affected buildings?
• What building codes are currently in place, and is the government implementing any changes to help accelerate recovery efforts? If so, how might these adjustments impact contractors in the long run, particularly if quality controls are eased to accelerate construction?  
• What infrastructure improvements may be needed to reduce exposures (e.g. flooding, wildfires) and enable reconstructed buildings to endure another record-breaking event, especially in high-risk areas?
• How can we deepen our understanding of the communities affected to build more resilient environments?
   

Navigating Short- and Long-Term Challenges

Improving a community’s readiness to withstand natural disasters involves a delicate balance of managing immediate challenges and considering future implications. Construction companies must set new benchmarks for preparedness before the next crisis unfolds.

Short-Term Challenges
 

1. Labor and Housing
Natural disasters often displace local workers, requiring skilled labor to travel from other regions. This can slow recovery and create added challenges around housing and safety. Temporary accommodations like hotels or mobile units must be factored into costs – not just for logistics, but to support workforce continuity and 24-hour workers’ compensation exposure. Accelerating rebuilding means planning for labor mobility, partnering with regional labor pools and using technology to engage strong planning in supply chain management.

2. Rebuilding Supplies and Mobilization
Reconstruction efforts hinge on the timely delivery and availability of materials, equipment and personnel – especially when local inventories and infrastructure have been compromised. High demand, supply chain disruptions and logistical hurdles can significantly delay recovery. Adopting agile sourcing strategies, diversifying suppliers and using real-time logistics tracking can help streamline mobilization and keep recovery on track.

3. Basic Infrastructure
Roads, power and water systems must be fixed quickly to enable broader reconstruction efforts, but this is not always feasible depending on the extent of the damage. Parts of North Carolina remain unrepaired long after Hurricane Helene, and in March 2025 the state Department of Transportation identified 9,370 damaged sites and more than 200 roads that were still fully or partially closed. Innovations such as prefabricated structures and mobile energy grids can provide temporary but effective infrastructure to support rebuilding until permanent solutions are in place.

Long-Term Challenges

1. Environmental Impacts

Reconstruction efforts must comply with evolving climate regulations and factor in long-term sustainability. Beyond compliance, the construction industry has an opportunity to lead in resilience by integrating climate-adaptive materials, green infrastructure and energy-efficient designs to reduce future risk exposure.   

    
2. Quality Concerns

While projects need to meet local and federal building codes, the urgency of recovery can lead local governments to relax their codes, increasing future potential liabilities. According to FEMA, modern building codes would save an average of $484 million per year from flooding and $1.1 billion from hurricane winds. Even so, 65% of cities, towns and counties across the U.S. have still not adopted modernized building codes – let alone maintained them after disasters. To mitigate this, construction companies should consider using stringent quality control measures and implementing resourceful building practices that ensure lasting stability and minimize prolonged vulnerabilities.

3. Infrastructure Sustainability

In high-risk areas, a heavy weight is placed on the feasibility of rebuilding versus relocating. Construction companies can assist with cost-benefit analyses, considering long-term maintenance costs that may impact subsequent development.

Looking Ahead

As natural disasters intensify, construction operations must embrace ingenuity and strategic risk management to sustain community rebuilding efforts in the face of future catastrophes. Each disaster reveals valuable insights – lessons that are central for strengthening resilience for future generations.

At CNA, our motto is “Prepare before a disruption occurs, respond quickly to minimize impact and loss, and improve after every disruptive incident.” We’re committed to supporting construction companies as they help communities recover and rebuild while facing their own challenges in the aftermath of a disaster. CNA is here to support the industry and help ensure adaptability and resilience at every level of recovery.

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