PROPERTY OWNERS BLESSED with the beauty of the Carolina coast also are cursed by the threat of the real possibility of serious
BY STACY E. DOMINGO
wind damage. Teir plight is espe- cially uncertain during the hurricane season, June 1 through Nov. 30, when they must watch and wait as poten- tially devastating storms roll across the Atlantic Ocean, eventually dissipating, turning north before touching the U.S. East Coast, making landfall elsewhere or – the worst possible scenario for Carolina residents – wreaking havoc from Hilton Head to Nags Head and places in between. Heavy winds can be ruinous.
Further south, Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992 as a category 4 storm, causing more than $25 billion in damage and changing the way homeowners’ insurance premiums were written. Policies were dropped or changed and many residents faced higher premiums. Years later, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought destruc- tion to the Gulf Coast and forced insurance companies to again reassess their exposure to financial disaster. Hurricanes can be accompanied by tornadoes, which, of course, add to the risk of wind damage. For example, in September 1967, Hurricane Beulah plodded through Texas, joined by more than 140 deadly twisters. Even the most experienced meteorologists
are unable to predict when a tornado will form, which direction it will choose to travel and where it will descend from the sky. In South Carolina, where the legend of Hurricane Hugo, a mas- sive 1989 storm, continues to grow, lawmakers stepped in to help out by passing the Omnibus Coastal Property Insurance Reform Act of 2007. One of the bill’s most important provisions established the South Carolina Hur- ricane Damage Mitigation Program – also known as SC Safe Home – which offers grants for residents to fortify their homes against the damaging effects of high winds from hurricanes and other severe storms. It also pro- vides discounts or credits on insurance policies for retrofitted homes. “We are presently 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 Mis- sissippi, are working to implement pro- grams like SC Safe Home. It is a great opportunity for homeowners.” SC Safe Home, which operates within the South Carolina Depart- ment of Insurance, provides funds to individual homeowners to make their property more resistant to hurricane and wind damage. Te program does not reimburse homeowners for work that has already been done. “Our program was created as an
Ann Roberson, director of SC Safe Home
incentive for homeowners to be moti- vated 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, homeowners must have their residence inspected by a qualified home inspector, with the charge for this service capped at $150. “Our inspections usually take about an hour-and-a-half because we want to help our customers find the answers they need,” said Dan Bowden, co-own- er of Compass Designs, which serves Horry, Marion and Georgetown coun- ties in South Carolina. “We don’t leave until everything is completed on the application. Tat way the homeowner
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