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Forum Coordinator
Satellite images of hurricanes bearing down on Atlantic and Gulf coasts illustrate their size, raw power and unpredictable movements. Yet states with stringent building codes can more effectively withstand a direct hit, with fewer homes suffering catastrophic damage.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, based in Richburg, Fla., found that states are making “little progress” in terms of strengthening building codes protection, according to a new report. At the same time, a half-dozen or so states out of 18 in hurricane-prone areas boast strong codes maintained for the past six years or more.
Florida ranks first in its storm codes, reporting a score of 95 out of 100, followed by Virginia (94), South Carolina (92), and New Jersey (90). The lowest ranked in terms of building protections are Delaware, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
The institute released its latest edition of Rating the States in line with the so-called hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The last report before this year was in 2015. The institute’s first study was in 2012.
This year’s report “follows a disastrous year of storms in 2017, and is well-timed to inform discussion and action to improve building strength as communities repair or replace homes damaged (last year),” the think tank and research center says.
“Mother Nature delivered a serious and costly beating to the U.S. and its territories during 2017, with 25 million people impacted by catastrophic hurricanes and many more by other severe weather events,” says Debra Ballen, the institute’s general counsel and senior vice president of public policy.
“Bad weather is not new and will not stop. But what can and must stop is the continued construction, and inevitable destruction, of
https://qconline.com/business/resid...cle_33275e67-d594-55fb-b97d-3ba1aaa7250d.html
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, based in Richburg, Fla., found that states are making “little progress” in terms of strengthening building codes protection, according to a new report. At the same time, a half-dozen or so states out of 18 in hurricane-prone areas boast strong codes maintained for the past six years or more.
Florida ranks first in its storm codes, reporting a score of 95 out of 100, followed by Virginia (94), South Carolina (92), and New Jersey (90). The lowest ranked in terms of building protections are Delaware, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.
The institute released its latest edition of Rating the States in line with the so-called hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The last report before this year was in 2015. The institute’s first study was in 2012.
This year’s report “follows a disastrous year of storms in 2017, and is well-timed to inform discussion and action to improve building strength as communities repair or replace homes damaged (last year),” the think tank and research center says.
“Mother Nature delivered a serious and costly beating to the U.S. and its territories during 2017, with 25 million people impacted by catastrophic hurricanes and many more by other severe weather events,” says Debra Ballen, the institute’s general counsel and senior vice president of public policy.
“Bad weather is not new and will not stop. But what can and must stop is the continued construction, and inevitable destruction, of
https://qconline.com/business/resid...cle_33275e67-d594-55fb-b97d-3ba1aaa7250d.html