With the 2025 hurricane season projected to be another above-average year, states like Alabama are seeing the benefits of investing in resilient construction to protect communities and stabilize insurance markets.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) anticipates between 13 and 19 named storms this season, including three to five major hurricanes. Although this forecast is slightly less severe than 2024, it still exceeds the 30-year seasonal average of 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. NOAA estimates a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season and just a 30 percent chance of a near-normal one.

“It only takes one storm hitting an area to cause a disaster, regardless of the overall activity for the season,” NOAA warned. “Therefore, residents, businesses, and government agencies of coastal and near-coastal regions should prepare every hurricane season regardless of this, or any other, seasonal outlook.”

In Alabama, that preparation includes promoting resilient construction through building standards like the Fortified Home program, which aims to reduce storm damage and insurance costs through proactive building techniques.

A new report from the University of Alabama’s Center for Risk and Insurance Research—commissioned by the Alabama Department of Insurance—found clear evidence that resilient construction paid off during Hurricane Sally in 2020. The storm, which brought winds of up to 105 mph, caused widespread damage across the Gulf Coast. But homes built or retrofitted to meet Fortified standards sustained significantly less damage and incurred fewer insurance claims.

The Fortified Home standard, created by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), focuses on strengthening key structural components such as roof attachments, water barriers, and wind-resistant edges. Higher levels of certification require impact-rated windows and doors, reinforced wall systems, and secure venting systems—all verified by third-party inspections.

Though the upfront investment can be steep—adding 0.5 to 3 percent to new construction costs and 6 to 16 percent for retrofits—the long-term savings can be dramatic. According to the study, if every home impacted by Hurricane Sally in two Alabama counties had met Fortified standards, insurers would have paid 75 percent less in claims, saving an estimated $112 million. Policyholders could also have saved up to 65 percent on deductibles.

Notably, the study clarified that some damage is beyond the reach of building codes: 46 percent of the Hurricane Sally insurance claims were tied to falling trees and debris, hazards Fortified standards don’t directly address.

To encourage broader adoption, Alabama has implemented several incentives. Homeowners with Fortified-certified properties qualify for mandatory insurance discounts—up to 50 percent off the wind portion of their premiums, according to the Associated Press. Since 2015, the state has invested $86 million to help fund more than 8,700 Fortified retrofits.

“Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina left our state battered and facing an insurance crisis,” said former Alabama Insurance Commissioner Jim Ridling in an IBHS statement. “Carriers were pulling out of the market, consumers were hurting, and state leaders were grappling for answers. We had to think differently. We had to prepare better on the front end so we could avoid chaos on the back end. The storms were going to come. We had to change the economics of what happened after the storm hits.”

He added, “Adapting the IBHS Fortified building standard through the Strengthen Alabama Homes program, coupled with strong local building codes and mandated wind mitigation discounts, helped us stem the cycle of loss, making Alabama not only a safer place to live, but a state with a healthy insurance market. It has changed the stability of the insurance market and the economic landscape of coastal Alabama.”

Other states are starting to take note. Alabama Insurance Commissioner Mark Fowler recently testified before a California legislative committee in support of a bill aimed at bolstering wildfire resilience through funding for fire-safe roofs and defensible space measures.

“Natural disasters like windstorms, earthquakes, or wildfires will come no matter what we do,” Fowler told the committee. “That means you must find ways to build stronger before the event so you will have less damage after the event. It’s actually a pretty simple concept.”

As climate-related disasters increase in intensity and frequency, Alabama’s model of forward-thinking, resilience-focused construction may serve as a blueprint for other vulnerable states seeking long-term protection and insurance stability.

Originally reported by Claire Meyer in ASIS Online.