Louisiana has begun certifying local contractors and evaluators for the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program that will provide grants to homeowners to help retrofit their roofs to withstand hurricane-force winds, reports Louisiana Illuminator.
As of Thursday, the Louisiana Department of Insurance had approved 13 of 21 evaluator applications and 35 of 57 contractor applications. With those approval numbers, the insurance department is on track to exceed its goal of matching Alabama’s program, which state lawmakers used as a model when crafting the LFHP legislation.
“Our goal was to have as many contractors and evaluators as Alabama’s program, which has 26 contractors and 14 evaluators after being operational for several years,” says LDI spokesperson John Ford in an email. “We have exceeded the goal on contractors and are close on evaluators. We will continue to add contractors and evaluators that are interested in participating.”
The LFHP will offer grants of up to $10,000 for eligible homeowners to retrofit their roofs to new building codes. The codes call for better fasteners and seals that allow roofs to withstand winds of up to 150 mph and keep water from leaking through to the wood below the shingles.
Homeowners will be able to apply for the grants beginning in October, Ford says.
To be eligible, homeowners will have to get a state-approved evaluator to inspect their home and then obtain bids from at least three insurance department-approved contractors who can do the work.
Louisiana has been in the midst of an insurance crisis following a string of costly disasters since 2020 that has bankrupted several insurance companies and prompted others to stop writing new policies in the state. Other insurers have hiked premiums so high that people have been forced out of their homes.
