Hurricane Katrina's 20th anniversary marks a pivotal moment for assessing the legacy of devastation and the revolutionary changes in how we build in our most vulnerable areas.
When Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm, the destruction across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi revealed a harsh truth: our standard building practices weren't enough.
Smart Home America (SHA) emerged from the aftermath, a nonprofit organization founded in Mobile, Alabama, with a mission born from necessity.
SHA's founders recognized that surviving future storms would require exceeding minimum building codes. This realization led SHA to become a driving force behind promoting the FORTIFIED Home™ program developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) that would transform how we think about disaster-resistant construction.
Hurricane Sally in 2020 validated FORTIFIED's effectiveness when the Category 2 storm struck the largest concentration of FORTIFIED homes in Coastal Alabama, causing $7 billion in damage across the region. A comprehensive study by the University of Alabama in partnership with the Alabama Department of Insurance analyzed 30,000 properties, revealing results that exceeded even the most optimistic projections: FORTIFIED homes experienced 70% fewer insurance claims, a 22% reduction in claim amounts, and outperformed standard building codes by 50%.
Residents in 11 states will soon be able to access grants, discounts, and incentives to strengthen their properties against future storms using FORTIFIED standards. SHA and IBHS continue the push for broader policy integration, elevating what began as a desperate regional response to devastating storms to an essential nationwide effort as insurance markets tighten and weather risks intensify.
The journey from Katrina's devastation to today's innovative, proven solutions demonstrates that even our darkest moments can spark the brightest innovations, transforming how we build and prepare entire communities to weather whatever storms the future may bring.
About Smart Home America
Smart Home America is a non-profit organization based in Mobile, Alabama, dedicated to promoting community resilience through education and technical assistance. With over 6,000 people trained and over 5 million reached through online platforms each year, Smart Home America offers expert guidance and assistance to implement resilient solutions that create stronger and more insurable communities. Visit our website at www.smarthomeamerica.org.
Smart Home America, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) organization with a Platinum rating by Guidestar and a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator.