Distributors throughout Florida are still feeling the effects of an unusually brutal hurricane season, as small roofing firms to large construction companies look for building supplies.

Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne pounded the state of Florida last August and September.

"We've had to ramp up staffing in our lumber and shingles areas, and brought in help for our desk that supports professional contractors," said Chris Potter, a spokesperson for The Home Depot's Orlando store. "Roof repairs are especially backed up, and since the roof needs to be done first, I suspect we'll be busy well into 2005."

"Finding quality people is hard," said Tony Vitale, assistant store manager at the Pensacola Home Depot branch. "The good people are doing construction work, where they can make a lot more money."

Vitale said contractors from as far away as Missouri and Kentucky have traveled to the state to help, after local relief teams were sent home.

Building was robust in Florida well before the storm hit, so demand for construction workers, equipment and supplies are now at unprecedented levels, distributors said.

"We were so busy with new construction before the hurricanes; now we're busy with re-construction," said Joan Lasprogato, office manager at Tropical Construction Supply, Port Charlotte, one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Charley. "We have been slammed, but can now keep up with the demand for nails, nail guns and framing guns."

"Our big problem is finding accordion shutter screws," said Gene Drody, president of Sky Tool and Fastener in Miami. "These are all imported and are out on a boat somewhere."

Miami did not suffer as hard a hit as other areas, but the distributor says he has seen a significant boost in business that trickles down from other areas that can't keep up.

Brenda Parsons, president of Contractors Industrial Choice in Pensacola, said reconstruction efforts in Florida could keep her distributorship bustling for two years. "We know contractors who were getting 3,000 calls a day for repairs, and they had to say 'it will be six months before I get to you.'

"We see a big increase in our repair business," Parsons added. "We see contractors coming in from Mexico with broken-down tools, or ones that were poorly patched and not up to date."

Don Harrison, public relations manager for Home Depot's Eastern Division, said stores in the area are seeing a very high level of re-supply. Demand for gutters, siding, drywall and roofing materials has made for an increase in the company's flow of trucks.

"We have had 400 trucks a week coming in," Harrison said. "In four days, we converted a vacant Toys 'R Us warehouse near the Orlando airport into a place we could stockpile supplies and feed stores in the Orlando area."

Home Depot has 130 stores in Florida.

"We're back to a normal schedule, and have held on to a lot of part timers," Harrison added. "Of course, starting in July, we'll start looking out in the Atlantic again to see what's brewing."