Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

How do you make resilience the standard and not the exception? This week on the Disaster Discussions Podcast, Rachael Penton Gauthier continues the conversation with Managing Director of FORTIFIED, Fred Malik, on the @FORTIFIEDHome program’s early days to the road to 100,000 designations and becoming a nationally recognized standard for stronger homes. 🏠 Hear from Fred as he shares why verified performance remains central to resilience — and what it will take to scale FORTIFIED nationwide: youtu.be/znfLlZlP59k

Hurricane House is FORTIFIED Gold. That means I built it to a set of construction standards proven to resist destructive weather. As of this week, there are now 100K (!!!) FORTIFIED homes across USA—& I sleep easy at night knowing I’m living in one of ‘em. FORTIFIED is all about making American homes stronger, safer, & more weather-tough. Find out how to strengthen your home and get a FORTIFIED designation. (Link in comments.)

To be a certified @FORTIFIEDHOME service provider, you must follow all requirements, which includes documentation: fortifiedhome.org/how-to-become-…. As listed in the FORTIFIED Professional Handbook, FORTIFIED Wise Professionals must have and maintain professional insurance with coverage of Workers Compensation, as required by law: fortifiedhome.org/wp-content/upl…. Once you complete all requirements, you can be eligible to be in our FORTIFIED Service Provider Directory.

@IBHS_org we are certified professional. We are told that we MUST have Workmen’s Compensation insurance on file in order to keep our fortified professional certification. BUT, because we aren’t strictly a fortified roofer we don’t get listed in the directory so we get no leads

Mitigation matters! 100K @IBHS_org FORTIFIED proves it. @SBAgov disaster loans help homeowners strengthen and protect their property.

100,000 @FORTIFIEDHome designations. 🏠 What started as research is now helping communities nationwide better withstand hurricanes, severe storms and high winds. This milestone belongs to the homeowners, roofers, evaluators, insurers, builders, lawmakers and partners building a more resilient future together - and 100,000 is just the beginning.

100,000 FORTIFIED designations. 🏠 What started as research from the @IBHS_Org is now helping communities nationwide better withstand hurricanes, severe storms and high winds. This milestone belongs to the homeowners, roofers, evaluators, insurers, builders, lawmakers and partners building a more resilient future together - and 100,000 is just the beginning.

Would your business be ready if a #wildfire threatened your community? 🔥 Having an evacuation plan in place before a wildfire is on the way can help protect your employees, operations and property. #IBHS has resources to help your business prepare. Learn more: ibhs.org/wildfirereadyb…

Join our upcoming webinar to learn more about the Wildfire Prepared Home™ designation program offered through IBHS. Find out what makes a home resilient along with the steps to achieving and maintaining the Wildfire Prepared Home™ certificate.

Date: May 21, 2026 Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Presenter: Steve Hawks, IBHS Senior Director for Wildfire Location: Online via Zoom Register at: buff.ly/mU0G9s7

“A lot of this research, and our understanding of what buildings are subjected to, really helped us develop the Wildfire Prepared community program and also look at this as a risk-based problem in how we design those standards,” said Dr. Murray Morrison, managing director of research at IBHS. “The whole goal is really to prevent uncontrolled fire spread through communities."

Una propiedad preparada contra incendios forestales puede mantener su hogar seguro y, al mismo tiempo, reflejar su estilo personal. 🏠 Los árboles saludables y las plantas nativas pueden colocarse alrededor de su jardín, pero las investigaciones muestran que mantener los cinco pies alrededor de su hogar libres de elementos que puedan arder puede ayudar a reducir el riesgo cuando el próximo incendio forestal se acerque.

As hurricane season approaches, a survey from AAA and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety found many North Carolinians remain underprepared for major storms, with more than one-quarter reporting they have not made any advance preparations patreon.com/posts/aaa-surv…

A Wildfire Prepared property can keep your home safe, while also reflecting your personal style. 🏠 Healthy trees and native plants can be placed around your yard – but research shows keeping the five feet nearest your home free of items that will burn will reduce risk when the next wildfire is on the way.

#DidYouKnow when building a new home or during home renovations are optimal times to add #wildfire mitigation features to your home? 🔥 Upgrades like noncombustible siding, enclosed eaves and dual pane tempered windows can help protect vulnerable parts of your home from wind-driven embers and radiant heat. Learn more ways to strengthen your property against wildfire: ibhs.org/wildfire-ready

Good early morning from Chester County SC! I’m at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety for their controlled burn experiment. @IBHS_org This facility does some amazing research on how to make structures more resilient to extreme weather!

@JoePumaWSOC9 Thanks for joining us today!

What does it take to turn science into a movement while making homes stronger across the country? In this week's Disaster Discussions Podcast, @FORTIFIEDHOME experts Cliff Barros and Alex Cary share how lessons learned from Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina sparked a shift toward resilience -and helped grow the FORTIFIED program from early projects on the Alabama Gulf Coast to 100,000+ homes nationwide. 🎧 Listen today at youtu.be/2lkyMpJOCsE.

😌 Have peace of mind this #HurricaneSeason and prepare your home by taking science-backed steps around your property. ✔️ IBHS has an easy-to-follow #HurricaneReady checklist to help you get started at ibhs.org/hurricaneready….

Paradise is rebuilding. They’ve also been preparing. In November 2018, one of the most destructive wildfires in state history swept through Butte County — 85 lives were lost, nearly 19,000 structures were destroyed, and the entire community of Paradise has been rebuilding from the ground up since then. Yesterday, Paradise showed us what rebuilding with wildfire resilience really looks like. Defensible space. Hardened homes. Fuel breaks. Neighbors committed to making sure their community is ready for wildfire. The lessons learned from the Camp Fire have shaped how all of California approaches wildfire preparedness. Wildfire recovery isn’t just rebuilding structures. It’s about building resilience. #WildfirePreparednessWeek #Paradise #CampFire #ReadyForWildfire #CommunityResilience @CALFIRE_ButteCo @bereadybutte @forestservice @USFSPlumas @IBHS_org @Cal_OES

#DidYouKnow your porch should be just as prepared for the next storm as the rest of the home? High winds can exploit weak & degraded connections on attached overhang structures like porches, carports and patio covers. When these elements fail, they can act as “damage amplifiers,” triggering a cascade of significant damage. IBHS tested these structures to better understand this damage progression and our research found thoughtful design, strong connections, & proper maintenance can reduce risk. Explore the research: youtu.be/ZljEwwiMDyY