Recap: Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: Inside Alabama’s FORTIFIED Roof Program

In a recent webinar, Travis Taylor, Director of the Office of Risk and Resilience at the Alabama Department of Insurance, shared the evolution of the Strengthen Alabama Homes (SAH) program from a post-disaster pilot to a nationally recognized model for home resilience.

Launched after Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Katrina (2005), SAH was designed to break the “rebuild and repeat” cycle that left coastal communities vulnerable to future storms. Travis explained that the program’s staying power comes from its innovative funding model: instead of drawing from Alabama’s state fund, it is supported by a small portion of insurance fees, ensuring both political neutrality and long-term financial stability.

How it works: Through SAH, homeowners can receive up to $10,000 to install an IBHS FORTIFIED roof. Independent evaluators and contractors guide participants through the process, and upon completion, each homeowner receives a FORTIFIED certificate that qualifies them for an insurance discount - one that stays with the home, not the owner, adding lasting value to the property. 

Travis reflected on how the program has grown from a coastal initiative to a statewide network, now active in more than half of Alabama’s counties. Partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been key to expanding its reach. In the city of Selma, AL, for instance, SAH and its partners replaced 40 roofs in a tornado-affected neighborhood, demonstrating how resilience efforts can meet residents where they are. 

To date, SAH has invested over $83 million, assisted 9,500 homes, and contributed to 60,000 fortified roofs statewide, helping to stabilize Alabama’s coastal insurance market. A defining moment for SAH came with Hurricane Sally in 2020, when post-storm data revealed dramatically lower insurance claims and losses among FORTIFIED homes. This defining example cemented the program’s credibility - both for insurers and for other states now modeling similar efforts. 

Travis closed the webinar with advice for other states and municipalities looking to launch resilience programs: start small, secure sustainable funding, measure your results, and build local partnerships. His reminder was simple but powerful: “Resilience isn’t a policy; it’s a roof that stays on when the storm hits.”

The webinar recording can be viewed here:

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