IBHS Experts to be Featured at 2015 National Hurricane Conference
Tampa – March 25, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a leading national authority on disaster-resistant construction, will have multiple experts speaking at the 2015 National Hurricane Conference (NHC) March 30-Apr. 2 in Austin, Texas.
“The National Hurricane Conference and IBHS share a common goal,” said Julie Rochman, IBHS President & CEO, “which is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property.”
Rochman will address the conference during the general session Wednesday, Apr. 1, on Building Code Safety and How Hurricane-Prone States Measure Up. She will discuss the importance of strong, modern building codes and their role in increasing communities’ hurricane resilience. Rochman also will announce the results of IBHS’ new Rating the States report, which is being released at the Conference during a morning press conference at 10 a.m. CT in room 13-B (4th Floor). The report evaluated the 18 hurricane-prone states from Maine to Texas on their building code systems and assigned them a score from 0-100. The original 2012 Rating the Statesreport and background information is available on IBHS’ Building Codes webpage.
On Tuesday, Apr. 2, Alex Cary, IBHS’ FORTIFIED™ Coastal Programs manager, will present on two panels: Strategies for Bringing Resilient Building Practices to At-Risk Communities and Preventing Wind-Driven Water Intrusion through the Roof System.Both presentations will discuss IBHS’ FORTIFIED construction standards, which increase buildings’ resistance to various natural hazards including hurricanes. Cary will discuss FORTIFIED’s successful partnership with Habitat for Humanity in coastal Alabama and specific recommendations in the FORTIFIED program to reduce hurricane damage from wind-driven rain, with special focus on getting the roof right.
Tiffany O’Shea, IBHS’ Public Affairs Director, also will participate on a panel on Apr. 2 regarding Communicating Risk: Is Anyone Listening? She will join other experts in discussing how the public views risk and what motivates them to prepare for disasters, with a focus on combating complacency and reaching vulnerable populations.
On Tuesday, March 31, IBHS also will hold a FORTIFIED-Wise™ training course, which provides conference attendees an introduction to the FORTIFIED Home™–Hurricane program. The course is recommended to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge about the program, including contractors, product manufacturers, building officials, students and real estate professionals. Continuing education credits (CEUs) through the International Code Council are available for this course. For more information about this course or future FORTIFIED-WISE training, visit theFORTIFIED Home webpage.
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About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks to residential and commercial property by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.
Media Contact: Tiffany O’Shea, Phone: (512) 636-7811 (c) or Email:
