Monumental rebuilding challenges brought on by an unusually brutal hurricane season are keeping Florida distributors busy as everyone from small roofing firms to large construction companies looks for building supplies.

Last season's four-hurricane pounding, which knocked down schools, homes, hotels and businesses, has left a lingering effect on the state's labor market, as the unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest rate in nearly three years.

"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 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 is now at unprecedented levels, distributors say.

"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, Fla. "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 Drody said 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,'" she said.

"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."

For Grainger, selling construction and industrial supplies from its 22 locations in Florida is back to normal, said Parris Devine, regional branch services vice president for the Southeast. "Thankfully our manufacturers remarkably have kept up with our demand, and we've been able to adjust inventories locally to satisfy needs.

"We had employees up and down the Eastern seaboard volunteering in the early days," Devine said. "Our Florida employees are 'hurricane tested' and they moved around for two weeks to where we needed help."

Don Harrison, public relations manager for Home Depot's Eastern Division, said stores in the area are seeing a 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."