The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) isvoicing its strong support for U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer's (R-TX)plea for Congress to pass the National Windstorm Impact ReductionReauthorization Act. This legislation would fund additionalresearch aimed at significantly reducing the vulnerability of homesand businesses to wind-related hazards. 

"IBHS greatly appreciates Rep. Neugebauer's efforts to advancethis important piece of legislation, which will help home andbusiness owners reduce wind damage across the country," says DebraBallen, IBHS general counsel and senior vice president of publicpolicy. "Tragic high wind-related disasters during the last twoyears alone—tornadoes in Oklahoma last May and in Illinois lastNovember, for example—are clear signs that we need to focus onsignificantly reducing the vulnerability of our communities tothese types of devastating events."

Protecting People…and Property

IBHS, a leading authority on wind research in the U.S.,constructed a large applied research center in 2010 to advancebuilding science while demonstrating the property insuranceindustry's deep commitment to loss mitigation. Situated on 90 acresin Richburg, South Carolina, the facility provides the space andmeans for researchers to evaluate various residential andcommercial construction materials and systems. It houses 105 fansand other specialized equipment designed to recreate a variety ofhighly realistic wind, rain, fire and hail events.

The Institute created this facility in part because wind hazardresearch—as it applies to building performance—has been underfundedfor decades. In stressing the importance of the facility (and thekind of research it fosters), the agency emphasizes that"relatively little has been done" by the federal government tofurther the understanding of how the characteristics of differenttypes of windstorms affect the real-world performance of buildingcomponents, connections, and systems.

In light of this, H.R. 1786 would represent an importantmilestone, as the reauthorization of the National Windstorm ImpactReduction Program (NWIRP), sponsored by Rep. Neugebauer, wouldsteer federal dollars into wind-related research and implement astrategic plan to establish goals to improve mitigation against theloss of life and property from future windstorms. It also wouldgive the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)primary responsibility for the program's planning andcoordination.

During last summer's joint hearing of the House Science, Space,and Technology Subcommittees on Research and Technology regardingthe reauthorization, Ballen testified about IBHS' support forNIST's designation as the lead agency for the program and supportfor the funding and research roles for the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA), the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA), and the National Science Foundation(NSF).

"A coordinated effort among these agencies with privateorganizations undoubtedly will yield effective mitigation againstwind-related disasters," Ballen said. "One of the most importantsteps toward that end is ensuring NWIRP receives the appropriatelevel of funding it needs to help improve our nation's safety,sustainability and resilience."