Hurricane Season Begins June 1
ORLANDO, Fla. – Mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening disaster effects. This includes investing in building strategies that enhance hurricane resiliency.
According to the National Institute of Building Sciences, mitigation strategies can save the nation $6 in future disaster costs for every $1 spent. These practices are especially helpful in a hurricane-prone state like Florida.
Below are a couple examples of projects in Florida that prove the value of investing in mitigation:
Bradenton, Manatee County
Homeowner Debbie Korell took action to protect her 60-year-old home near Sarasota Bay from hurricanes after learning her annual insurance premium would be $3,000.
She invested about $9,700 to install hurricane shutters, a hurricane-proof door and impact-resistant skylights. Also, the home had previously received a new, stronger roof following Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Korell now pays less for a stronger home after making these investments. Her insurance company lowered her premium because of the home’s wind-resistant mitigation.
Her investments not only saved money on premiums but also in potentially expensive repairs. Hurricane Irma struck the area in 2017 but Korell said the enhancements helped her home withstand the storm.
Daytona Beach, Volusia County
Floodwaters from a 2009 storm saturated the entire west wing at the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences. The rain event destroyed items at the ground level facility and threatened several others.
The museum decided to demolish and rebuild the west wing on elevated concrete slabs. The facility now sits six inches above the water elevation mark of the 2009 flood.
FEMA provided a $4.4 million grant for the project. Local sources provided another $2 million.
Hurricanes Matthew and Irma proved the success of the elevation. The rebuilt west wing stayed dry during the 2016 and 2017 events.
For more information on mitigation, visit archive.floridadisaster.org/mitigation/Hazard/, www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance and www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/30627.
For more Hurricane Irma recovery information, visit www.FEMA.gov/IrmaFL.
Follow FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Twitter at @FEMARegion4 and @FLSERT. You may also visit FEMA and the Division’s Facebook pages at Facebook.com/FEMA and Facebook.com/FloridaSERT.
Helping people before, during, and after disasters.
Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.
FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.
###