MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — With another hurricane season beginning, there are people still fixing damage left by Hurricane Michael.

People in the Panhandle are having trouble finding available contractors and are facing high building material costs, but one man is helping them out free of charge.

When Mike Earls was contracted to fix a roof in one Mexico Beach community, he soon realized there was damage in every direction he looked.

“I saw guy over here struggling to do some of the work by himself, so I just walked over and introduced myself to him and asked if he ever needed any help. I’d be glad to help him,” Earls said.

Rain was leaking into Jana Clinton’s home.

“Anybody who asks for his help, he’s been there to help them, and he’s been a blessing to us,” Clinton said.

Earls does the extra jobs for free, and he’s doing work people like Clinton would otherwise have to wait months to get done. Contractors in the area are in short-supply and in high-demand, and building supplies are at a premium.

“Three panes of glass, and they wanted to charge her $700 to replace them,” he said.

Earls installed the materials for a total of about $100 – just the cost of supplies.  He did the work for free.

Earls now regularly travels back to Georgia where building supplies aren’t so expensive.

“I can go back home and get it for less than half of what they’re selling it for here,” said Earls.

And with not enough available places to stay for contractors working in the area, most of them have to drive back and forth, which is going to make the recovery even longer.

“Everything gets delayed on a day’s work. If you put four hours of travel time into it, you really reduce the amount of production,” said Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey.

Spectrum News checked with the Greater Orlando Builder’s Association to see if Hurricane Michael affected contractor availability or building costs in Central Florida.  GOBA says contractors were already in short supply, so Michael didn’t worsen that or have a direct effect on building costs.

But GOBA says builders are bracing for the incoming hurricane season. They say any major storms that affect the area could have a huge impact.