by Walter Lumpp Catastrophes show no favoritism. Fires, floods, storms, and other disasters create havoc with equal disregard for all people and places. Last year, such devastation cost the insurance industry an estimated $30 billion in payments to policyholders—who then sought builders to restore their damaged property. A Market Largely Untapped Insurance restoration forms a significant segment of the construction industry. Yet it remains a largely untapped market for most builders, who can't see beyond the charred remains or muddy mess of a disaster scene to the remodeling job ahead. Dealing with the aftermath of a disaster requires special skills and flexibility. But it also provides a recession-proof source of work. Disasters don't care about the season of the year or the
