Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana with devastating force, the state continues to catch up on building safety measures aimed at protecting homes from fierce storms. Back in 2005, Louisiana was not fully ready for Katrina’s 125 mph winds and severe flooding. At that time, the region was still working to adopt modern building codes that accounted for such powerful weather.
Building codes that could withstand strong winds didn’t become standard across the U.S. until around 2002. Louisiana lagged behind in this area, partly because many local parishes didn’t even have official codes or inspection offices. Shortly after Katrina, lawmakers took quick action by creating a statewide building code following the International Code Council’s guidelines. This move came during a special session in December 2005, helped along by then-Governor Kathleen Blanco and several insurance groups.
Despite this early progress, Louisiana did not keep updating its code regularly. The International Code Council updates its model codes every three years to keep up with new technology and safety knowledge, but Louisiana didn’t follow those updates until much later. It wasn’t until after a tough hurricane stretch in 2020 and 2021, when storms like Laura, Delta, Zeta, and Ida caused billions in damage, that the state finally brought its building codes up to modern standards in 2021.
The harsh lessons from these storms also sparked efforts to strengthen roofs on homes across the state. Jim Donelon, Louisiana’s former Insurance Commissioner, led the push for a program that offers grants to homeowners to upgrade their roofs to a special Fortified standard. This roofing style includes tougher edges, sealed decks, and impact-resistant shingles. It’s designed to hold up against Category 3 or 4 hurricanes with winds between 130 and 150 mph.
Louisiana’s program took inspiration from Alabama, which started its Strengthen Alabama Homes initiative back in 2011. Alabama has already helped tens of thousands of homes make these upgrades, often without public funding. Louisiana, on the other hand, was slower to start but finally launched its Fortify Homes Program in 2023. Since then, more than 3,700 grants of up to $10,000 have been given out, and the number of Fortified homes without grants has increased to over 5,500.
The cost of a Fortified roof remains a hurdle for many, especially as insurance costs keep rising. To ease this, Louisiana passed laws requiring insurance companies to offer discounts on premiums for homes with Fortified roofs. There’s also a new tax credit that can give homeowners up to $10,000 back.
Tim Temple, Louisiana’s current Insurance Commissioner, said the program protects the state from severe weather and makes it easier for insurance companies to operate in the region. With stronger building rules and support for safer homes, Louisiana hopes to reduce damage from future storms and protect residents better than ever before.