Almost three years after the fact, there are still obliterated roofs and uninhabitable homes in Onslow County that were left behind by Hurricane Florence.

Anyone who’s been through a natural catastrophe knows life can be upended for days or weeks without power and water and lingering scarcity of fuel and food. Debris cleanup and rebuilding drags on for months or even years. Many are displaced and counting the days until they can return to a home that’s safeguarded against mold and the elements. When it comes to the roof, prevention is the best medicine.   

“There are some things in your home that insurance can’t replace,” said Gina Hardy, CEO of North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA).

North Carolina is second nationally in the number of homes built and roofed to an elevated standard set by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a non-profit disaster preparedness organization that just marked its 30,000th Fortified Home designation in the nation. The Fortified standard is a voluntary set of above-code design, building, and retrofitting steps proven to strengthen homes against severe weather.

NCIUA and IBHS launched the Strengthen Your Roof grant and enhancement endorsement program to help more homeowners cover the cost of reroofing their home for protection against the devastation of severe weather events.

“NCIUA is excited to partner with IBHS to assist our policyholders in North Carolina beach communities make their homes more resilient to severe weather,” Hardy said. “Eliminating or minimizing storm damage allows our policyholders to return home after a storm and quickly restore their lives."

Only four homes out of those of over 200,000 NCIUA policyholders were fortified when the nonprofit started an effort with IBHS in 2017 to fortify more homes. Today, there are 3,126 homes in North Carolina with roofs that will hold up better than the standard when the next storm blows through.

IBHS has shown in lab research and real-world events that Fortified roofs reduced damage from winds sustained during major hurricanes.

“There are a set of building codes in North Carolina that follows the International Residential Code pretty effectively, but we have learned how to construct homes particularly with additional work on roofs to be able to withstand 135 mph winds,” said Roy Wright, president and CEO of IBHS.

The number of IBHS Fortified roofs in North Carolina has gone from just a couple hundred four years ago to about 4,000 today. Of those roofs, 3,000 were fortified through grant programs.

A Fortified roof is constructed or upgraded with three critical elements. The roof deck is secured with ring shank nails, the deck is sealed, and the edges are locked down.

“Those three pieces along with other standard practices for roofing will position that house to be able to withstand that heightened sense of Mother Nature’s fury,” Wright said.

More than 2,500 Strengthen Your Roof grants were awarded to North Carolina homeowners in 2019 and 2020. NCIUA offered grants of up to $6,000 for roof replacement with an IBHS Fortified Roof for eligible policyholders on the Outer Banks and Barrier Islands.

Funding is still available and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis through Dec. 31 or until funds are depleted. NCIUA has other programs in the works to get homeowners assistance with obtaining roof evaluations and fortification.

“Right now, we do have grants available in the Outer Banks and Barrier Islands, and we are very hopeful that we’ll get some additional funding that we can expand the program to our policyholders in the rest of the 18 coastal counties,” Hardy said.

NCIUA is the last resort for homeowners who are unable to get insurance in the private market. It insures $79 billion in property values in the state. The nonprofit covered nearly $1.45 billion in aggregate losses from Hurricane Florence in 2018, about $70 million from Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and $55 million from Hurricane Isaias last year.

“We’re doing everything we can as a nonprofit to help them make their homes more resilient,” Hardy said. “We feel very strongly about people having homes to return to.”

Too many coastal homeowners are familiar with the serious losses and damage that can occur with high winds and wind-driven rains. According to IBHS, roof-related damage is responsible for 70 to 90 percent of total insured catastrophic losses. Roof failure can disrupt home life and business operations after a natural disaster, derail careers and destroy financial security.

In addition to knowing a roof is built to higher standards, a Fortified roof also gets homeowners discounts of up to seven percent on insurance premiums and an enhanced resale value of the home.

Historically, it’s not the easiest time to rebuild as natural disasters and the pandemic have caused a nationwide shortage of construction materials and disrupted supply chains. Hardy said it’s important for policyholders in beach communities to plan ahead and not delay in applying for Strengthen Your Roof funds before they run out.

“We’re excited that we are able to make a difference,” Hardy said.

For more information about the Strengthen Your Roof program, visit StrengthenYourRoof.com or call 1-844-627-6637.

Reporter Jennifer Rich can be reached at jrich@gannett.com.