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Okay, so today we're diving into something that's pretty important for anyone living

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in a hurricane country.

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Yeah, especially if you want to keep a roof over your head when those storms roll through.

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We're talking about building codes.

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Right, and how they play a huge EE role in making sure homes can actually weather those

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storms.

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You're really interested in Florida and how they stack up, aren't you?

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Yeah, I mean, they're basically hurricane central, right?

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So we dug into some research from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

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You mean that Rating the States report?

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I saw that.

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Yeah, that's the one.

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It's got some pretty eye-opening findings about how building codes translate into actual

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protection when a hurricane hits.

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And the cost of not being prepared is seriously scary.

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Oh, tell me about it.

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NOAA just came out with a report on all the billion-dollar weather disasters we had this

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year.

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And there were a lot.

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28.

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Wow.

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In one year.

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Yeah.

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Each costing at least a billion dollars.

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We're talking hurricanes, floods, the whole shebang.

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It's clear that Mother Nature means business, so shouldn't our buildings, too.

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100%.

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And that's exactly where building codes come in.

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These aren't just some random rules some bureaucrat came up with.

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They're actually based on a ton of research and engineering constantly being updated

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with the newest information about how to make structures safer.

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So it's not just about having building codes.

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It's about having up-to-date ones, right?

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This IVHS report, it focuses a lot on the international residential code.

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They call it the IRC.

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Right.

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And that code gets updated every three years.

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Every three years.

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Yeah, because building technology changes so fast.

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Our understanding of materials, how wind impacts a structure, it's always evolving.

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Those three-year cycles help make sure that the codes are incorporating all the latest

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knowledge.

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It's like having the newest smartphone instead of, like, a flip phone from 2005.

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Exactly.

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You want that latest technology protecting your home.

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Stronger building codes, they mean less damage, fewer injuries, and a faster return to normal

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life after a hurricane hits.

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It's about bouncing back quicker, both for individuals and whole communities.

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So let's talk Florida.

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They're practically experts at handling hurricanes at this point.

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Yeah, they've had a lot of experience, that's for sure.

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What's this Rating the States report say about their building codes, though?

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Are they as good in practice as they need to be?

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Well, according to this report, Florida consistently ranks among the top.

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Oh, really?

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Yeah, they're taking hurricane resilience pretty seriously.

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I have to admit, I'm a little surprised.

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I figured the top would be all states that don't really have to worry about hurricanes.

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Nope.

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Florida's doing well in all three key areas they look at.

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Code adoption, training for building officials, and contractor licensing.

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Okay, bring that down for me.

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Why are those the magic three when it comes to keeping homes from blowing away in a hurricane?

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Well, imagine you have the latest iPhone, right?

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Like the brand new one with all the fancy features, but you don't actually know how

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to use any of them.

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And it wasn't even put together, right?

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So have the features don't even work.

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Exactly.

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That's kind of what it's like if you have strong codes, but don't pay attention to those

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three things.

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First, you guys have the latest codes in place, which is where code adoption comes in.

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Which Florida's good at, apparently.

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Yeah.

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Right.

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They're consistently getting high marks for that.

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But then you got to make sure the people who are actually approving building plans and

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inspecting the construction are up to date on all the requirements.

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So the building officials need to know what they're doing.

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Makes sense.

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And you can't forget about the contractors.

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They're the ones actually putting these codes into practice.

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It's like having the best blueprint in the world, but hiring someone who's never built

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a house before to build it.

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Exactly.

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If you don't have qualified licensed contractors who know how to build to the latest codes,

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the whole system falls apart.

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Okay.

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So Florida's acing the code adoption part and contractor licensing.

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What about the training though?

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Is that where they're dropping the ball?

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The training for building officials.

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It's decent.

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Not perfect, but not bad.

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The report does point out that there's no mandatory continuing education for building

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officials when it comes to residential codes.

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Really?

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So once they've learned it, once they're good to go, I feel like stuff changes so fast

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these days.

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That's the thing, right?

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Codes get updated every three years.

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New materials, new techniques, it's constantly evolving.

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They have a good foundation, but staying up to date is key.

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Yeah.

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It's like you wouldn't want your doctor using a medical textbook from 1980, would you?

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No, unless it was a fascinating historical artifact or something.

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Right.

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Okay, so good marks for Florida overall, but how does this actually play out in the real

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world?

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Enter Hurricane Ian.

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That was a monster of a storm.

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No kidding.

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But this is where it gets really interesting.

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The IBHS took a close look at the damage from Ian and found something amazing.

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Okay.

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I'm intrigued.

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Tell me more.

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Of the 455 single family homes built after the 2002 Florida building code went into

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effect, not a single one had major structural damage.

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What, you mean like none?

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Yeah.

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These homes were built to the updated code and they withstood a major hurricane without

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major structural damage.

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That is incredible.

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And proof that those codes actually make a difference.

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Right.

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This isn't just theory, it's real world evidence.

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Now think about the homes that weren't built to the newer code.

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How did it do?

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Not as well.

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Overall, those homes saw 80% more damage than the ones built to the modern period.

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80%?

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Yeah.

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80%.

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We're talking about whole neighborhoods potentially being saved from that kind of destruction.

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And billions of dollars in avoided damage, just from one hurricane.

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It makes you wonder what those states at the bottom of the ranking are thinking.

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Well some of them have a long way to go.

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Yeah.

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Let's talk about those low performers.

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Who needs a little extra help?

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And why are they lagging behind?

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Okay.

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So who are the big offenders?

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Which states are at the bottom of this building code report card?

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Well, the ones that really stick out this year are Delaware, Alabama, and Texas.

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Hmm.

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Interesting.

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And they all have coastlines that see hurricanes, right?

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Yeah, they're all vulnerable.

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So what gives?

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Why are they behind on this?

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It's a mixed bag, to be honest.

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Some of them, it's a matter of just not having statewide codes in place.

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Wait, really?

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No statewide building codes?

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Delaware, for example.

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They leave it up to the individual towns and cities to set their own requirements.

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Seriously.

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So your house in one town could be held to totally different standards than a house one

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town over.

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Yeah, basically.

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That seems kind of risky.

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Especially with hurricanes and all.

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It is.

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And it highlights a bigger issue.

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This report actually found that less than 35% of Americans live in communities with

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the most up-to-date codes.

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Wow.

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I had no idea it was that low.

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Yeah.

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So even if a state has good intentions on paper, the enforcement might not be there in reality.

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That's kind of unsettling to think about.

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So what can people do?

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It feels like we're at the mercy of our states and local governments on this one.

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Well, knowledge is power, right?

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The first step is to find out what codes are in place where you live.

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Was your home built to those standards?

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Are there things you should be thinking about?

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That's a good point.

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I honestly have no clue what building codes my house falls under.

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A lot of people don't.

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But you can actually look it up.

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That IBHS report is a good place to start.

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But there's also a website called inspecttoprotect.org.

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Inspecttoprotect.org.

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Okay, I'm writing that down.

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It's a great resource.

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You can just pop in your zip code and see what the building codes are in your area.

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That's super helpful.

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I'm going to check that out for sure.

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It's definitely worth a look, especially before hurricane season rolls around again.

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So it seems like the big takeaway here is that building codes matter.

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They can literally be the difference between a house that survives a hurricane and one that

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doesn't.

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Absolutely.

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And while some states like Florida are doing pretty well overall, there's always room

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for improvement.

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Yeah.

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And it's lagging behind, it's time to step it up, make those changes, enforce the codes,

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and let's make sure everyone has a safe and resilient home to weather whatever storms

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come our way.

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Well said.

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We can't control the weather, but we can control how we prepare for it.

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Exactly.

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So let's do everything we can to stay safe out there.