New Study Lauds Local FORTIFIED Construction

Although Hurricane Sally caused more than $300 million in damage in Alabama, a new study finds the damage could have been much worse if not for the area’s widespread adoption of resilient construction. Through a series of financial incentives, Alabama has promoted the use of FORTIFIED, a voluntary construction and reroofing program developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. In 2020, there were more than 17,000 homes built or reroofed to the FORTIFIED standard on the Alabama coast. The report, issued by the Center for Risk and Insurance Research at the University of Alabama, shows that, after Hurricane Sally, FORTIFIED homes were more than 70% less likely to have an insurance claim than a typically built home.