The Minnesota Department of Commerce is pushing a bill at the capitol that would provide grants to homeowners to make their houses more resilient to severe weather.
Lawmakers heard testimony from Michael Newman with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety on new building standards that would do just that.
“Last year, it’s my understanding that Minnesota had its most costly year in terms of severe weather, with six separate billion dollar events per NOAA data,” Newman explained. “You all have experienced the type of tornadoes and straight line winds and hail that caused damage, disruption and dislocation to too many families.”
Under the proposal, homeowners who build resilient new homes or retrofit existing homes to meet the Institute's "fortified" standard would receive premium reductions on their home insurance.
“What do more frequent and severe storms mean for the people of Minnesota? Far too often, they mean damaged roofs and water-damaged homes and belongings, with property owners struggling with financial loss,” said Newman. “It means dislocated families who must find alternative places to live while their home is repaired. Following particularly bad days, it can mean disruption to whole communities — in both the economic and social context. And, it does not have to. Roofs can stay intact. Homes can stay dry. People can come home after severe weather, pick up their yard, and move on with their lives. The damage, displacement, and disruption too often associated with severe weather can be reduced and, in some cases, eliminated. You can help make this a reality for the people of Minnesota through the Strengthen Minnesota Homes program. And IBHS can help.”
