North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association Celebrates 15,000 FORTIFIED Homes, Strengthening State's Coastal Resilience

WILMINGTON, N.C., March 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA) reaffirmed its commitment to building a stronger, storm-ready North Carolina today at an event celebrating a major milestone: more than 15,000 FORTIFIED Roof™ designations statewide. The event also recognized the individuals and organizations instrumental in bringing the FORTIFIED program to North Carolina's coastal communities.

FORTIFIED, developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), is a voluntary beyond-code construction and re-roofing program that strengthens homes against high winds and heavy rain. Since adopting FORTIFIED as its resilience standard in 2016, NCIUA has invested more than $100 million to help families upgrade their homes to meet this proven standard.

"While we can't control storms, leaders and homeowners are working to lessen their impact," said IBHS's CEO Roy Wright, highlighting the proactive measures. "NCUIA and North Carolina's financial support to help homeowners reduce storm damage is a forward-thinking investment that will enable communities to recover faster from hurricanes."

FORTIFIED Roof upgrades include stronger roof deck attachment, sealed roof decks and locked-down edges. A third-party evaluator documents and verifies that each installation meets the standard, ensuring quality and consistency. 

NCIUA was among the first in the nation to offer FORTIFIED grants and policy endorsements and now operates three initiatives to help policyholders upgrade their roof:

• Strengthen Your Roof offers eligible policyholders in the Outer Banks and Barrier Islands grants of up to $10,000 toward a FORTIFIED Roof installation.
• Strengthen Your Coastal Roof, in partnership with the State of North Carolina, provides grants of up to $6,000 for eligible policyholders in 18 coastal counties outside the Outer Banks and Barrier Islands.
• Stronger Roof Endorsements are included at no cost in NCIUA Homeowners and Dwelling policies. This endorsement provides up to $5,000 in extra coverage for FORTIFIED upgrades when a roof is being replaced due to covered damage from a claim.

"We are committed to strengthening North Carolina's coast and building a stronger, storm-ready North Carolina. The NCIUA has invested over $100 million to help policyholders reduce their risk of storm damage, protecting homes and increasing the likelihood that families can return to their homes as soon as possible after the next storm," said Gina Hardy, CEO of NCIUA. "Now, with over 15,000 FORTIFIED homes along the coast, we are minimizing the economic impact of storms and empowering communities to recover faster and more fully."

Research continues to validate the impact of FORTIFIED. An analysis by the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University of storm losses from Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Dorian and Isaias found that homes with FORTIFIED roofs were 34% less likely to file a claim, and when claims were filed, the damage was 22% less severe than homes built to standard construction.

At today's event at the Cape Fear Country Club, NCIUA presented awards to individuals and organizations who have played a vital role in achieving coastal resilience.

• The Resilient Community Impact Award: Representative John Bell for his steadfast support of NCIUA's resiliency efforts
• Resilient Trailblazer Award: Dennis Duffy, the first certified FORTIFIED evaluator in North Carolina
• First FORTIFIED Roof Recognition: American Values Contracting for installing the first FORTIFIED Roof in an NCIUA program
• Pinnacle Volume Awards for Roofers: Coastal Roofing & Siding and Gallop Roofing & Remodeling
• Pinnacle Volume Awards for Evaluators: Pilot Catastrophe Services, NC Fortified LLC, and Projust, LTD

NCIUA also recognized key partners and leaders in attendance for their continued support in building a stronger, storm-ready North Carolina, including: Mike Causey, NC Insurance Commissioner; Roy Wright, CEO of IBHS; Tim Minton, EVP of the NC Home Builders Association; Senator Jim Perry; Mayor Shannon Phillips, Mayor of Sunset Beach; Joanna Biliouris, GM of the NC Rate Bureau; and Willo Kelly, CEO of the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS.

For more information about NCIUA's programs and how to apply for grants, visit StrengthenYourRoof.com or StrengthenYourCoastalRoof.com. For more information about the FORTIFIED program visit FORTIFIEDHome.org.

About the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA)

The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA), also known as the Coastal Property Insurance Pool, is a nonprofit association of insurance companies authorized to write essential property insurance coverage in North Carolina. The Association was created by law to act as a market of last resort to provide adequate essential property insurance to property owners having insurable property in the Beach and Coastal Areas of North Carolina.

About Strengthen Your Roof

The Strengthen Your Roof program is designed to improve the resiliency and weather-resistance of properties insured by NCIUA. It provides grants to offset some of the replacement costs to upgrade qualified roofs to the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard. Please visit https://strengthenyourroof.com/Home/NCIUA for more information.

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more at IBHS.org. 

About FORTIFIED

FORTIFIED is a voluntary, beyond-code construction and re-roofing method to strengthen homes and businesses against severe weather, including high winds, hurricanes and tornadoes. Visit fortifiedhome.org to learn more about the program, including the designation process.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; NCIUA