Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Houses fortified against disaster in Louisiana

Terra Daily: To promote safer construction in Louisiana, American National Property And Casualty Company (ANPAC) offers a 25 percent discount off the hurricane portion of a homeowners policy for homes built to the Fortifiedfor safer living standard. Homes must also meet other ANPAC underwriting requirements. ANPAC is an IBHS member company. ANPAC adopted the Fortified for safer living model after the Gulf Coast was devastated in 2005.

Louisiana System Built Homes marked the completion of the first Fortifiedfor safer living home built in the state of Louisiana with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The home, at the Ponderosa Estates in Arnaudville, meets the Fortified requirements set by the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a nonprofit research organization supported by the insurance industry to reduce property losses. In addition to earning the Fortified for safer living designation, all homes built by LASBH at its St. Martinville factory, are energy efficient, affordable, and have a higher standard of quality construction.

Fortified criteria raises a new homes overall resistance to natural disasters based on the hazards that the home will face where it is built. In Louisiana, Fortified homes:

-- are designed to withstand wind speeds 20 MPH above those set by the American Society of Civil Engineers;

-- have higher design pressure rated windows and doors, and in the southern portion of the state require impact-resistant opening (typically window and door) protection; and

-- have roofing materials that provide a resistance to water penetration, high winds and hail and provisions that take flood and wildfire into consideration.

…ANPAC adopted the Fortifiedfor safer living model after the Gulf Coast was devastated in 2005, said Agent Doug Jones. ANPAC believes that homes within 100 miles of the coast should be built to a higher standard. The discount we offer can reduce the insurance cost by hundreds of dollars per year by protecting against major risks Louisiana residents face.

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