Alabama’s Wind-Mitigation Program Celebrates 50,000 Fortified Homes in the State

Alabama’s wind-mitigation grant program has resulted in 50,000 fortified homes over the last decade, outpacing most other coastal states that offer similar programs.

The Alabama Department of Insurance announced the milestone this week, giving more kudos to a program that has won praise from insurance officials around the country. The program provides grants up to $10,000 for retrofitting homes for better wind resistance, allowing homeowners to qualify for premium discounts on their property insurance.

“The Fortified standard has changed the landscape of coastal Alabama,” Alabama Insurance Commissioner Mark Fowler said in a statement, referring to the Fortified construction guidelines developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), which the program adheres to. “The Fortified program has meant fewer blue tarps on homes after storms. It has meant communities can go back to living quicker instead of spending time rebuilding their neighborhoods and businesses.”

The program was prompted by Hurricane Ivan, which came ashore in 2004, causing considerable damage in Alabama and northwest Florida. By 2011, Alabama lawmakers authorized Strengthen Alabama Homes. In 2016, the first grants were approved. So far, the program has provided more $76 million for Fortified homes, a DOI spokesperson said.

Other states have developed their own grant programs, and the IBHS has said that Alabama, North Carolina and Louisiana have led the way in fortifying homes. Florida’s My Safe Florida Home program also provides grants up to $10,000, and has proven to be extremely popular in that state, which has seen insurance premiums escalate sharply in recent years.

The Florida program began in the early 2000s, but was halted for almost two decades. The Florida Legislature early this year provided another $200 million, and the funds were exhausted within weeks. As of this week, the program has obligated grant funding to 57,976 homeowners, said Steven Fielder, chief business officer for the Florida Department of Financial Services, which oversees the program. Of that total, 24,749 have completed the mitigation work and the remainder are in various stages of completing their work or submitting requests for reimbursement.

Some experts, including a Florida State University insurance and risk management professor, have said that wind-mitigation programs are the best defense against insurance losses in hurricanes, and should receive much more funding. Others, including a former state senator, have argued that the My Safe Florida Home only scratches the surface and is not enough to make a difference in the storm-prone Sunshine State.

Alabama officials said that state’s program has made a difference for those homeowners who have retrofitted their homes with stronger roofs, windows, doors, and roof-to-wall connections. Of 17,000 Fortified homes and 19 commercial structures in coastal areas, more than 95% saw little or no damage during Hurricane Sally, a Category 2 storm that hit the state in 2020, the DOI said in a statement.