By Max Dorfman, Analysis Author, Triple-I
Houses with extra trendy roofs had been capable of keep away from important harm from Hurricane Ian, in contrast with these with older roofs, in accordance with a current research by the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA).
Of the 200 properties surveyed, 90 p.c with roofs put in earlier than 2015 had roof harm, versus 28 p.c for these put in after 2015, when Florida imposed new ordinances concerning how roofs are connected to homes and the way waterproof they should be. Certainly, when Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa, a barrier island in Lee County, Fla., on Sept. 28, 2022, it broken 52,514 properties and different buildings within the space, inflicting an estimated $55 billion in insured losses in 2024 {dollars}.
A few of this harm, in accordance with the information, might have been mitigated by up to date roofs.
Historical past tells the identical story
After the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Florida took the initiative to develop revolutionary plans to stop hurricane harm. These modifications additional got here into impact in 2002, with a brand new deal with roofing. Nonetheless, there have been inconsistencies within the high quality of the roofing.
“The Nineteen Seventies-era properties carried out higher than a number of the post-2002 new constructing code properties due to the sealed roof deck,” Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president of the Federal Alliance for Protected Houses, advised The Miami Herald. “It was a nominal value (to bolster the roof) and a easy factor to do, however it made an enormous distinction.”
Now, with a renewed deal with steel sheet roofs—which bear the brunt of storms extra resiliently than asphalt shingle roofs—FEMA’s information might drastically change the best way wherein properties are constructed, and the way insurers are responding to fraudulent claims.
Insurance coverage scams set progress again
Insurers are pressured to lift the value of protection in hurricane-prone areas in Florida due to a rash of schemes to intentionally harm roofs to qualify them for insurance coverage claims, a persisting development.
“Fraud drives insurance coverage charges up and harms all Florida policyholders,” Residents Property Insurance coverage CEO Tim Cerio mentioned. Nonetheless, implementing the modifications recommended by the FEMA research could assist alleviate a number of the issues posed by insurers—and assist owners.
“Whenever you’re a house and evaluating its skill to outlive a hurricane, the well being of the roof is the primary query to ask,” mentioned Chapman-Henderson. “It not solely will increase your efficiency within the hurricane itself, however within the present atmosphere it might assist prevent cash in your insurance coverage.”
Study Extra:
