Louisiana Among ‘Most Improved’ States for Extreme Weather Resilience
As hurricane season approaches, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recently released the fifth edition of Rating the States, which evaluates building code adoption, enforcement, and contractor licensing in the 18 states along the hurricane coastline from Texas to Maine. The signature study found that Louisiana is one of the two most improved states in America for resilience against extreme weather, primarily due to new construction codes. Overall, Louisiana is now ranked 5th best out of 18 hurricane-prone coastal states, up three spots since the last rating. Now, Louisiana’s code is tied for best with Florida, Virginia, and Connecticut.
Writes IBHS: “Louisiana jumped three spots to fifth place after making training mandatory for code officials and adopting the 2021 International Residential Code. The state also showed its commitment to resilient construction and re-roofing when it launched the Fortify Louisiana Homes program, which provides grants to help homeowners upgrade their roofs to the voluntary, beyond-code FORTIFIED standard.”
IBHS conducts Rating the States every three years to coincide with the building code cycle. It ranks each state on a 100-point scale by analyzing specific factors in the current code environment that influence windstorm resilience. The report details best practices in residential-related building regulations, providing a roadmap each state can follow to improve its ability to mitigate damage from severe windstorms.
Combined with recent legislation, this improved ranking should help mitigate homeowners insurance rates in Louisiana. More information, including discount programs, can be found at the GNOinsure site.