Post-Zeta roof repairs still in demand with 2021 hurricane season looming

JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - We’re a week away from the official beginning of the 2021 hurricane season, and many in South Mississippi still need roof repairs caused by Hurricane Zeta.

“All these right here are people that are ready for roofs right now that’s waiting for roofs,” said David Thronton as he sifted through work orders.

That’s why David Thornton’s office is the front seat of his car. Thronton said and his crews have continued working nonstop during the last seven months. When we checked in with Thornton back in February, 3 Thronton’s Construction had hammered home 38 jobs. Now he said that total is up to 111.

“A lot of people still have damage. A lot of people are fighting with insurance companies, you know. Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty,” Thornton added. “Hurricane season comes through again, it blows the tarp off already bare wood, then you’ve got bare wood, then you’ve got open sheetrock. A lot of people are panicking about it.”

He said depending on the weather and the availability of building materials, his crews can knock out 5-6 jobs a week. He said what’s scary is we’re about eight days away from the start of Hurricane Season 2021.

“Everything is going up. The cost of wood is going crazy,” he said. “We don’t want a storm to come through and tear everything up again.”

That scenario would put Thornton and every other roofing crew even further behind on schedules and materials.

“We’ve got a long waiting list but we’re trying to get them done accordingly,” Thornton said.

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