Dwelling
Hugo
Create a Safe Home Grants Help Weather the Storm M BY STACY E. DOMINGO 60
OUNT PLEASANT PROPERTY owners blessed with the beauty of the Carolina coast also are cursed by the threat of the real possibility of serious wind dam- age. Teir plight is especially uncertain during the hurricane
season, June 1 through Nov. 30, when they must watch and wait as potentially devas- tating storms roll across the
Atlantic Ocean toward the Lowcountry. In South Carolina, where the legend of Hurricane
Hugo, a massive 1989 storm, continues to grow, law- makers stepped in to help out by passing the Omnibus Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act of 2007. One of the bill’s most important provi- sions established the South Carolina Hurricane Damage Mitigation Pro- gram – also known as SC Safe Home – which offers grants to fortify homes valued at up to $300,000 against the damaging ef- fects of high winds from hurricanes and other severe storms. It also provides discounts or credits on insurance policies for retrofitted homes. “We are the only grant program like this in the
United States,” said Ann Roberson, director of SC Safe Home. “Other states with coastal exposure, such as Alabama and Mississippi, are working to implement programs like SC Safe Home.” SC Safe Home, which operates within the South Caro-
lina Department of Insurance, provides funds to individual homeowners to make their property more resistant to hur- ricane and wind damage. Te program does not reimburse
homeowners for work that has already been done. “Our program was created as an incentive for home-
owners to be motivated in retrofitting their homes,” said Roberson. “We also wanted to make the South Carolina property insurance market more attractive to insurance companies and make properties more secure and sustainable.” Prior to applying for grants of up to $5,000, home-
owners must have their residence inspected by a quali- fied home inspector, with the charge for this service capped at $150. Jeffrey M. Donaldson, president of ACE Preferred
Inspections, is a certified wind inspector who has served the Charleston area for 15 years.
“People are defi- nitely interested in the grant money, but mostly it’s about the savings on homeowner’s insurance,” said Donaldson. “Te savings are pretty substantial, and it goes with the home even if it is sold.” The most com-
mon retrofit is a new roof, followed by adding a sec- ond water barrier. “Tese definitely
provide the most bang for your buck,” Donaldson said. “Te South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association helps fund us,” Roberson said. “Te program works well, and we anticipate it to continue for years to come. SC Safe Home is such a positive program, and we have had satisfying feedback from homeowners.” SC Safe Home also is financially supported by a portion of the tax collected on wind and hail insurance policies.
To learn more about SC Safe Home, visit
www.SCSafeHome.SC.gov.
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