Two new products on the market could help reduce losses and property insurance claims
in storm-prone parts of the Southeast and beyond, makers announced recently.
Flood Risk America, based in Lake Worth, Florida, said it has expanded its flood protection line
up with three new systems: Hinged flood gates, permanent flood doors, and fabric flood barriers.
The gates allow entry-point protection for properties without blocking daily access, the firm said in a news release.
The doors are designed to provide watertight protection when closed, but normal access in routine use.
The barriers are made of what the company calls Aqua Fabric, and can be moved into position by a single person, without heavy equipment.
And Ormond Beach-based Tarpers firm recently announced TarpBags, which can hold down roof tarps without nails or heavy sandbags.
Property owners have often relied on roofers or others to place temporary tarps over roofs that are damaged by hurricane winds. This can mean driving roof n
ails through the tarp and into shingles, which can introduce new leak points, potentially exacerbating water damage and claim severity on the property. Or, workers have
had to carry heavy sandbags up ladders to secure the tarp covering, adding to the risk of fall and injury, Tarpers said in a statement.
The TarpBags product can be filled with water from a hose after the bag is attached to the edge of a tarp, the firm noted.
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“TarpBags make roof tarping faster, safer, and easier to deploy in the field,” said Steve Lofvers, P
resident of Tarpers. “By eliminating roof penetrations and removing the need to carry heavy sandba
gs, crews can respond more quickly and reduce the risk of additional damage, especially during large loss events.”
Florida has the largest wind-mitigation grant program in the country, providing more than $300 mil
lion to homeowners over the last few years and resulting in insurance premium discounts for thousands of people.
But it’s not enough. The program is not targeted at enough properties that would produce the mos
t benefit for insurers, homeowners and state interests. And too many insureds and builders fail t
o see the return from retrofitting their homes or building stronger structures in the most hurricane-prone state.
That was the word from Florida professors, actuaries and insurance interests who participated in a panel discussion at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation’s Insurance Summit, held last week in Tallahassee.
“If investing in upgrades adds as much value as you put into the upgrade, why aren’t all develop
ers doing it?” asked session attendee Mark Tanner, an actuary with Insurance Strategies Consulting.
The chief reason is the upfront cost of building homes to “code-plus” standards that exceed
most state building codes and stand tall in a storm, said Charles Nyce, professor of risk management and insurance at Florida State Uni
versity. Constructing to a true hurricane-resistant standard may add $20,000 to $30,000 in costs, he said. (The My Safe Florida Home grant program provides matching grants only up to $10,000.)
