IBHS President and CEO Harvey Ryland (left) and Nancy Baily, President and CEO of First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, help dedicate the first Fortified...for safer living® Habitat for Humanity home in Florida, together with Kim White (far right), the new homeowner.
Tampa - Habitat for Humanity of Hillsborough County handed over the keys today to a brand new home that has special features to protect it from disasters and keep the owner safe.
The new home, on Golden Rod Road in Thonotosassa, is the first Fortified…for safer living® Habitat home in Florida, and the third Fortified Habitat home in the country.
The Fortified program is a national initiative featuring construction options to better protect new homes from natural disasters. The program is sponsored by the Tampa-based Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), which is supported by member insurance and reinsurance companies.
Fortified protection generally goes beyond what is required by local building codes, with guidelines in Florida better safeguarding homes primarily against high wind, wildfire and flooding, the state’s costliest natural perils. The Fortified designation is granted by IBHS after verification by a qualified inspector.
Construction features in the Thonotosassa Habitat home include:
- Non-combustible (metal) roof materials that also better withstand high winds;
- Heavier roof deck held more securely in place and protected by a secondary moisture barrier;
- Double-paned windows protected by shutters;
- Reinforced entry doors;
- Non-combustible exterior materials: stucco, aluminum soffits and facia;
- Building site and landscaping techniques that reduce wildfire and flooding vulnerability.
“We’re excited that Habitat for Humanity can help demonstrate the importance of natural disaster safety,” said Liz Fields, Executive Director of Hillsborough County Habitat for Humanity. “This home is even more special to us, since it has also been equipped to accommodate the new homeowner, who has multiple sclerosis.”
Habitat presented the keys to Kim White, who will live in the home with her teenage daughter. Special features were included in the house plans to help aid Kim’s mobility. She currently walks with a cane, but because she hopes to have a scooter soon, the home has extra-wide entryways level with the driveway and porch, handrails, a drive-in shower and cabinetry and shelves that are easier to access. The monitored alarm system includes a call button to wear around her neck, should she need emergency medical assistance.
A $10,000 St. Paul Travelers Foundation grant funded the Fortified upgrades for this and a number of other Habitat homes in the Tampa area. The grant was made on behalf of First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, a Travelers personal lines company and an IBHS member.
“As a provider of home and auto insurance, we’ve seen first-hand the devastation natural disasters can cause,” said Nancy Baily, president and CEO of First Floridian. “That’s why we invest in initiatives that educate the public about preventive measures that can help reduce the risk of loss and help ensure the safety and well being of friends and family.”
Harvey Ryland, IBHS president and CEO said, “All homes should be safe from disasters. Working with Habitat for Humanity certainly helps us demonstrate that the Fortified program includes a range of affordable disaster-resistant options. We’re thankful the Travelers Foundation encouraged this partnership to better protect these homes.”
The Fortified…for safer living® program kicked off in October 2000 with three homes in Pinellas County, and has now expanded throughout the state and into North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Louisiana, with other projects underway.
The Institute for Business & Home Safety is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.
First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, a Travelers personal lines company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of St. Paul Travelers (NYSE: STA), which supports community involvement through the St. Paul Travelers Foundation.
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