Citation
(2001), "IBHS unveils new home building program", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 10 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2001.07310cab.004
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
IBHS unveils new home building program
IBHS unveils new home building program
Last October, the Institute of Business and Home Safety (IBHS) in the USA, unveiled the pilot effort in a new home construction program featuring innovative and affordable construction options to safeguard families against natural disasters. Called "Fortified Florida", the program features new home construction options that offer added protection against that state's three most destructive natural perils: high winds, flooding, and wildfires.
Fortified Florida will premier in the Tampa Bay area, before being introduced elsewhere in the state, as well as across the country as part of a national initiative called "Fortified … for Safer Living".
IBHS is a national non-profit organization supported by the property-casualty insurance industry. The Florida pilot program was developed in partnership with the Contractors and Builders Association of Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the state of Florida.
With materials contributed by local suppliers, three new homes have been designed and built to meet the new Fortified Florida standards. They incorporate such features as non-combustible, wind-resistant roof materials; shutters and impact-resistant glass; anchored exterior structures, such as carports and porches; reinforced entryways and garage doors; and building site and landscaping techniques that reduce wildfire and flooding vulnerability. The Fortified Florida designation can only be granted by a qualified service. IBHS engineers will provide this service for the first 100 homes built to the new standards in Florida, and IBHS plans to qualify an outside organization to provide the service afterwards.
IBHS intends to expand the program within Florida and also into a new state early next year. In addition, the institute expects to announce a set of criteria for retrofitting existing Florida homes to the Fortified Florida standards next year and plans to promote public awareness to help create market demand for these construction techniques.
More information about the Fortified Florida program is available on the Web at: http://www.fortifiedhome.net or by calling (877) 534 4672.
Interested persons can also contact IBHS, 1408 North Westshore Boulevard, Suite 208, Tampa, FL 33607, USA. Tel: (813) 286 3400; Fax: (813) 286 9960; http://www.ibhs.org
(Natural Hazards Observer, January 2001)