Podcasts

Rating the States for Disaster Preparedness

The Disaster Discussiuons podcast from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety reveals who is getting it right
March 7, 2025

In its fifth edition, IBHS’s Rating the States  report evaluates the 18 states along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts based on residential building code adoption, enforcement, training, education, and contractor licensing.

In this episode of Disaster Discussions, we’re joined by Dr. Ian Giammanco, IBHS Managing Director of Standards and Data Analytics, and Dr. Milad Shabanian, IBHS Codes and Standards Engineer, to discuss the results of the latest report.

The episode covers the history and mission of Rating the States, the methodology used to calculate state scores, and a deep dive into the results. The group highlights several states and what they’re doing right to achieve high scores and looks at ways low-scoring states can improve their scores in the next report.

"Having a strong building code can reduce the damage from natural disasters like hurricanes. For homeowners who live in states with strong building codes, it adds peace of mind and sense of security about the safety of their homes and workplaces."

Storm-Preparedness overachieving States:

  • Virginia
  • Florida
  • Louisiana

Storm-Preparedness underachieving states:

  • Texas
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama

Sorry, the transcript is unavailable for this podcast, so you'll have to listen to find out why those states won or lost in this year's rating season.

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