Room for Improvement

Article

Across the insurance industry, adjusters and insurers alike are better prepared to respond when disaster strikes. However, damage trends recorded by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) shows a steady increase. According to the IBHS, the reasons are a “disproportionate number” of residents along coastal areas, and the equally disproportionate cost of homes in coastal areas. According to AIR Worldwide data, coastal property values in 2007 are $8.9 trillion, or 17 percent of all insured property in all states.

Yet current building codes are lacking. Of 18 coastal states, only three get a near-perfect rating by the IBHS. The organization measured state building codes in 18 coastal states with regard to hurricane damage. The results are shown below.

State-by-State (Ratings Scale 0 – 100)

State	Total	Adoption of code, universality, and weakening provisions	Enforcement Officials	Contractor Licensing
Florida	95	48	22	25
Virginia	95	48	24	23
New Jersey	93	49	23	21
Massachusetts	87	46	21	20
South Carolina	84	45	18	21
Connecticut	81	40	24	17
North Carolina	81	40	22	19
Rhode Island	78	44	19	15
Louisiana	73	48	15	10
Maryland	73	43	15	15
Georgia	66	31	15	20
Maine	64	33	22	9
New York	60	37	23	0
New Hampshire	49	39	0	10
Alabama	18	0	0	18
Texas	18	18	0	0
Delaware	17	4	0	13
Mississippi	4	0	0	4