Dive Brief:
-
Storm-prone Florida is no longer the strictest state when it comes to hurricane building codes, as it has not yet updated its standards to comply with the 2012 International Residential Code, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety.
-
In its report, “2015 Rating the States,” the Institute ranked Virginia as the highest among 18 hurricane-prone states for building codes and enforcement. Florida, which is in the process of updating its building code, came in second.
-
Most coastal states have updated their building codes or are in the process of doing so, the report said. Still, IBHS President Julia Rochman said in a press release that “a number of states” have not improved their standards since 2012, and a few have weaker requirements now than they did three years ago.
Dive Insight:
Rochman said enforcing building codes is the minimum requirement for states with frequent storms. “In no other aspect of your life would you accept the minimum,” she said. “We’re spending 10s of billions in some years to rebuild structures that were damaged by Mother Nature.”
Florida overhauled its building codes after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
