Louisiana is located along the coastal wetland system. As a result, Jim Donelon, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner said he encourages homeowners to consider concrete roofs and cylinder block constructions.
Donelon participated in a public discussion at a Town Hall meeting in Lafayette. He said there is a Fortified Home Grant Program designed to help homeowners prepare for natural disasters.
"We need to take the step of fortified and we're doing that," Donelon said. "The program was created last year to do the grants for retrofitting a building and in addition to that, also in the special session that Governor Blanco called after [Hurricane] Katrina and rated the first state-wide building code was adopted."
Donelon said long-term, he would like the existing homes below I-10 and I-12 to have concrete roofs, so they are weatherproof for winds up to 150 mph.
"It [The Fortified Home Grant Program] has retrofitted or built construction homes with fortified primarily, roofs to be certified by qualified inspectors as meeting the fortified homes standards," Donelon said.
Patti Carter is a Lafayette resident. She said so many people are concerned about rising insurance premiums.
"I'm hopeful that the actual insurers will be closely watched, the increases are not outrageous," Carter said. "We need to have people that can cover their houses, their businesses, their cars and it's really a problem right now and I'm very anxious to see how it's going to be handled."
