In addition to IBHS, partners include the American Red Cross, FEMA, the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the Florida Department of Insurance and the Florida Insurance Council. IBHS believes that strong building codes, strictly enforced can significantly reduce damage to homes from windstorms. The insurance industry supported a new Florida law that adopts a statewide building code. The law, passed this year, provides for consistently high code standards to be enforced throughout the entire state. A study of homes damaged by Hurricane Andrew revealed that many properties could have avoided substantial damage had they been built according to the building code in effect at that time.
Mitigation is a wise investment, while the consequences of doing nothing are severe.