One phrase comes to mind when looking at each U.S. state's building codes and other regulatory actions that help make it hurricane-resilient: Live and learn. Several of the states that get high marks for being ready to withstand a hurricane in 2024, according to the most recent Rating the States report compiled by the the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), have in fact been the scenes of devastating storm damage in the past. The report, which comes out every three years, focuses on the 18 hurricane-prone coastal states from Texas to Maine. It uses a 100-point scale to analyze such factors as residential and commercial building codes and contractor enforcement. "Most people trust their state, city, or town has rules or codes to ensure homes are built to be safe and strong," IBHS CEO Roy Wright said in a press release about the report. "Yet, despite their proven effectiveness, less than 35% of Americans live in communities with an adopted modern building code." The slideshow above illustrates the 10 coastal states the IBHS deemed the most hurricane-resilient in its 2024 Rating the States ranking. See also:

• Weather science, risk modeling and the 2024 hurricane season
• Early forecast calls for 'well above-average' 2024 hurricane season
• Hurricane preparation step-by-step: What to do as a storm approaches