Adaptation Policy in Practice | The Strengthen Alabama Homes Program: A State Model for Wind Mitigation Retrofits

Second Installment in GCC’s Adaptation Policy in Practice Series

In Alabama, like in many coastal states, tens of thousands of homes are susceptible to damage from increasingly severe hurricanes and tornadoes, yet the modifications needed to reinforce houses to resist high winds can cost more than homeowners can afford. This has led to un-modified homes remaining vulnerable, in turn driving up premiums and making insurance harder to get. Alabama’s response, the Strengthen Alabama Homes, is a program that invests funds collected from insurance companies toward fortifying homes to a standard that provides greater protection during the next storm.

In the second installment in the Adaptation Policy in Practice Series, Georgetown Climate Center Adaptation Program Director Joshua Saks explains how the Strengthen Alabama Homes program is helping homeowners reduce their risks from extreme weather, lowering insurance costs, and stabilizing state insurance markets.

“The story of Strengthen Alabama Homes provides a template for building a climate adaptation program that is durable and serves as many homeowners as possible,” said Saks. “Sustainable funding, guaranteed financial benefits, and proven engineering standards together form an integrated governance model that moves communities from vulnerability to resilience, and that other states can replicate.”

Georgetown Climate Center's Adaptation Policy in Practice Series spotlights the nation’s most effective state-level climate adaptation initiatives. The first installment explored relocation, looking at how New Jersey's Blue Acres program expedites floodplain buyouts. Future installments will highlight state programs that model effective governance structures for climate adaptation.

Read the new Strengthen Alabama Homes issue brief here.

Explore the full Adaptation Policy in Practice Series.