According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city may be overdue for another major earthquake. Concerns about recovering from such a disaster are being fanned by the ongoing labor shortage in the construction industry. Scientists are predicting a 72% chance of a major shakeup happening in the next 25 years. Experts point to the difficulties of North Bay residents still trying to rebound from widlfires. "If it’s a widespread disaster, we’re going to have serious issues,” said Alex Lantsberg, a researcher with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a construction union.
Demand for labor has made San Francisco the second-most expensive city to build in the world, behind only New York, according to construction consultant Turner & Townsend. The post-wildfire reconstruction in Sonoma County offers a cautionary tale. Demand for labor has risen throughout the year in Santa Rosa’s hard-hit Coffey Park neighborhood, said Dan Bradford, owner of the first home to be rebuilt after the fires.
Bradford’s new $435,000 home was rebuilt in just five months, and he moved back in May. His insurance covered the full cost of rebuilding. But now, with around 500 homes in various stages of construction, his neighbors are competing for a shrinking pool of workers. It can take more than a year to rebuild a single home. “The time frame keeps getting pushed back,” said Bradford. “There’s a lot of delays.”
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