Several state insurance organizations are attempting to help Alabamans better prepare for tornados.
The Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research at the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce has partnered with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, the Alabama Department of Insurance and Smart Home America to produce the 2016 Tornado Preparedness Guide & Insurance Tips for the state.
“Tornado preparedness saves lives,” state Insurance Commissioner Jim Ridling said. “The time between detection and devastation can be very short, and public education is the best strategy to keep people safe during tornadoes.”
The guide comes on the fifth anniversary of the April 27 tornado outbreak that killed more than 200 people and injured more than 2,000 more. On that day, 35 of 67 Alabama counties suffered damage and 23,553 homes were damaged or destroyed.
According to its promoters, the guide not only shares how state residents can prepare ahead of time for storms but also how they can work with insurance companies in the recovery process. It also offers various facts and information about some of the deadliest and costliest tornado outbreaks, including details from the April 27, 2011, outbreak.
Home and business owners will also find information about how to build stronger and safer properties through the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s FORTIFIED program.
“If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are more likely to repeat them,” Powell said. “Stronger construction methods could have prevented more than 85 percent of the losses to property from the storm, but many homes and businesses were rebuilt exactly as before.”
The guide may be found
here.
