What Contractors Are Doing in Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura! – Curtis Cobb – TJ Ware

Contractors are effectively financing the entire recovery — fronting tarps, mitigation, and emergency services while insurance carriers are slow to pay; even $10-20M/year firms are struggling to cash flow it.

Don't skip steps: many contractors sign contingencies and contracts but neglect proof of loss, estimates, and documentation that are vital to actually getting paid on large-loss claims.

Doing it the right way requires three honest parties aligned — an honest homeowner, an honest contractor, and an honest carrier; any one failing throws a wrench in the process.

Carriers are buying time and looking for ways around coverage (e.g., pushing flood where none occurred), banking on policyholders who won't fight; homeowners must hold their insurer to the fire.

TJ Ware calls contractors 'the heroes' — the first week or two of recovery was funded entirely by restoration contractors and mitigation crews, with a big mitigation contractor spending $800K/day and roofers $50-80K/day tarping.

This is a complex, high-cost endeavor — Paradise Claims ran a 10-person, $25K+/week operation knowing payment would be delayed; some operators will succeed and some will go bankrupt.

Rising material costs add another layer: OSB prices were already climbing, threatening whether a good settlement will still be enough by the time the roof is built.

TJ's core advice: do your due diligence and verify coverage BEFORE dumping money into a project — align with professionals who can review the property's policies.