NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Qualifying Louisiana homeowners began applying Monday (Oct. 2) for a state grant program designed to help them harden their roofs against hurricanes.
The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program will provide grants of up to $10,000 to eligible homeowners.
Dan Mills is CEO of the Homebuilders Association of Greater New Orleans. The organization worked to educate contractors about fortified roofing and worked to get more stringent building codes in Louisiana.
“Building resilient homes is part of our backyard,” Mills said. “And so we focused on getting new codes, which we passed and became law Jan. 1 which are the most resilient on the Gulf Coast, tied with Florida. Fortified is a whisper above it, it’s a little bit above code, the difference being ring shank nails in the deck.
“The new code, as does fortify, seals that deck watertight before the shingles go on so that if you lose shingles you don’t get water in the home.”
The application process is open first to homeowners who have coverage through Louisiana Citizens, the state’s insurer of last resort. Citizens’ number of policies escalated to over 100,000 after Hurricanes Laura and Ida after some insurers failed financially or otherwise pulled out of the state.
According to the La. Department of Insurance, 500 grants are available in the first round. In all, the program currently has funding to award about 3,000 grants in amounts up to $10,000 to repair or replace roofs to the Fortified Roof Standard, which is a standard set by the Insurance Institute of Business and Home Safety.
Here are the program’s criteria:
- Homeowners are only eligible for their primary residence and must verify they have a homestead exemption on the property during the application process
- Homeowners must provide proof of an active residential insurance policy with wind coverage. If they live in a Special Flood Hazard Area as designated by FEMA, they must also provide proof of a flood insurance policy. Contact your agent if you are unsure whether you have these coverages
- New construction homes, condominiums and mobile homes do not qualify
- Homes on a foundation constructed of unrestrained stacked masonry or stone (dry-stack foundation) are not eligible without an approved retrofit of the foundation
- Duplexes and similar structures are eligible if the building is the homeowner’s primary residence and if the homeowner can verify the homestead exemption on the property
- Homes must be in good repair as determined by a FORTIFIED™ evaluator. Homeowners are responsible for paying evaluation fees, which typically cost $300 to $500
- It is recommended that homeowners confirm there is at least one FORTIFIED™ contractor that is able to perform the work before paying for an evaluator to inspect the home. A list of approved contractors is available here.
- Homeowners who select a contractor and begin work on the project before receiving approval from the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program will not be eligible for a grant.
- The completed project must meet the FORTIFIED™ Roof standard in order to receive the grant funding
Grant funds are paid directly to contractors. Homeowners are financially responsible for all costs beyond the full grant amount. Grant funding is limited to construction costs.
Rep. Matthew Willard (D-New Orleans) said it is important for applicants to pay attention to the rules.
“The important thing to note is that the way this program works, the money will not flow through to the homeowner, the money will go directly to the contractor,” he said. “So, if you are accepted into the program, you will receive communication from the Department of Insurance, saying that you are accepted and here are a list of eligible inspectors who can come and do an evaluation on your home to make sure that your roof can be fortified.
“After that, you select the inspector, you go through the inspection process and then the Department of Insurance has a list of contractors who are certified to do the fortified roof.”
Mills said he believes the program is geared toward people needing a full roof replacement.
“The grant program is not targeting damaged roofs, it’s targeting folks who have roofs that are at the end of their lifespan,” Mills said. “An evaluator has to determine whether or not you can even have a fortified roof on your home. And then once you get that, then your application can move forward.”
Thousands of people got new roofs after Hurricane Ida struck in August 2021, before the program kicked off.
“Probably 50,000 roofs were replaced after Ida,” Mills said.
Mills said those homeowners might be able to see if their carriers offer discounts if they can obtain a certificate after inspection by a wind mitigation surveyor licensed by the state. More information can be found on the consumer resources page of the HBAGNO.org website.
And he says there is another option for a smaller number of homeowners.
“If your entire roof is accessible from the inside of your attic, you may be eligible for a fortified retrofit program,” Mills said. “That requires, again, an evaluator to come out and look at that and see if you’re eligible.”
A new law passed this year mandates that insurers give a financial break to homeowners who install fortified roofs.
“Insurance companies will have to provide an actuarily justified discount for fortified roofs,” Willard said. “Simply put, if you install this fortified roof and … your property is 30 percent less risky to insure, you’re allowed to collect a 30 percent reduction in your homeowners’ premium.”
The Louisiana Department of Insurance has a list of approved evaluators and roof contractors on its website.
Mills thinks Louisiana is doing well, in terms of having roofers certified to do the work.
“I think it is a good start,” he said. “Now, keep in mind that the money we have available will enable 1,500 grants on this first round and another 1,500 grants on a second round.”
And Willard urges homeowners to learn and understand the process, so they won’t be taken by scams.
“So please do not do business with anybody claiming to be certified in fortified roofing, claiming to have received money from the Department of Insurance to put a fortified roof on your home. All the communication will be driven through the Department of Insurance,” Willard said.
The HBA of GNO will hold a free homeowners seminar on Oct. 18 at the East Jefferson Regional Library (4747 West Napoleon Ave.) in Metairie.
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