Hurricane preparedness inside and out

Rick is joined by:

DR. IAN GIAMMANCO; Lead Research Meteorologist, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

MICHAEL RICHMOND-CRUM; Senior Director of Personal Lines & Counsel, American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA)

Have a listen:

The U.S. is entering the most active part of hurricane season, which typically begins to peak between mid-August and mid-October. Now is the time to strengthen your property to limit potential damage and check your insurance coverage to make sure you are financially prepared if a storm damages your property.

Natural disasters in recent years have caused billions of dollars in damage, which is a key reason why insurance costs have risen. To help ease the cost of insurance long-term, it is critical to increase the resiliency of homes and communities and reduce costly damage from severe weather. Costs to repair and rebuild homes and businesses after a natural disaster have risen significantly due to inflation. In the last five years, the cost of construction labor has increased 36.3 percent while the cost of building materials are up 42.7 percent. Homeowners should take time to review their insurance policy and verify with their insurer or agent that their coverage is keeping pace with these cost increases to help prevent being underinsured after a disaster.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) researches ways to strengthen buildings from severe weather and wildfire. The nonprofit provides property owners with science-backed guidance to prepare buildings to better withstand a severe weather event and helps inform future building codes to make our homes and businesses stronger. Adopted and enforced modern building codes are critical to improving resilience against storms.

With an active hurricane season expected, now is the time for homeowners to understand the risk of their community and evaluate ways they can reduce the potential for damage to their home if disaster strikes. In this segment, Dr. Ian Giammanco and Michael Richmond-Crum will be available to offer tips to guide property owners as they prepare for a potentially active peak hurricane season, including:

Upgrading to a FORTIFIED roof the next time you re-roof. This beyond-code standard will help keep your roof deck attached to your roof structure by using things like 8D ring shank nails that increase the uplift strength of your roof. A FORTIFIED roof will also keep you covered in the event that high winds blow off your shingles and underlayment, which exposes cracks in your roof deck and allows heavy rain to enter into your home. With a FORTIFIED roof, those cracks will be covered with flashing tape that IBHS research shows will keep up to 95% of water out of your home.

IBHS’s Roofing Roadmaps is a first-of-its kind tool to educate homeowners about the expected performance of roof covers, including asphalt shingle, metal and tile roofing systems, in relation to where they live and the natural hazards they face. (Roof 101) (Hazard 101)

The garage door is the largest opening in your home, which means it’s also susceptible to damaging winds that can cause it to fail, allowing wind to rush into the open garage pushing up on the roof and out on walls, much like a balloon, causing structural damage. Install a wind-rated garage door to prevent this.

When windows and doors are broken by flying debris, wind pressures can enter your home and push on your house from the inside out like a balloon, leading to structural damage. Installing impact-rated windows and doors that can withstand impacts from flying debris will help prevent this.. Alternatively, installing storm shutters over your windows can also help protect them from flying debris, keeping wind and water out.

Low-cost ways to strengthen your property to reduce potential damage.

Clogged gutters can lead to water damage. Remove leaves and debris so water can flow freely away from your home.

Secure loose items in your yard like flowerpots and tools that can turn into dangerous projectiles in high winds.

Seal cracks around windows, doors, or siding to help keep the water out during storms.

How to conduct an insurance policy review to prevent being underinsured.

Other easy steps to take to be more prepared for hurricane season, such as creating a home inventory, having copies of your

insurance policies in a safe and accessible place, and saving your insurer’s toll-free claims number to your phone’s contacts.

Topics:

This is predicted to be an active hurricane season. What steps can property owners take to make their home stronger and prevent potential storm damage?

How soon should homeowners get a jump on prepping their property for the season? And if they’re behind schedule, what quick fixes can still make a difference?

Why are the roof and garage door so important when it comes to severe weather and where can I learn more?

What makes hurricane preparedness just as essential for inland property owners as it is for those on the coast?

Why is it important for homeowners to review their insurance policies yearly and what should they check for to help make sure they have enough coverage to repair or rebuild their home if disaster strikes?

What kind of impact does increasing severe weather in recent years have on insurance costs and what can we do about it?

Where can our listeners go for more information?

For more information please visit: IBHS Hurricane Ready Guide: https://ibhs.org/hurricaneready/

or APCIA Hurricane Preparedness & Recovery Page: https://www.apci.org/hurricane