Florida Communities’ Resilience Investments Prove Effective Against Hurricane Milton

Florida communities Babcock Ranch and Hunters Point demonstrated the power of resilience investments during Hurricane Milton, maintaining power and avoiding significant damage despite the storm’s devastating impact on neighboring areas. Both communities employ advanced disaster-resistant features like flood-elevated structures and self-sustaining solar power systems, showing the effectiveness of proactive infrastructure planning. While these resilience measures come at a high cost—often over a million dollars per home—research indicates that each dollar invested can save around 13 dollars in damages and recovery expenses.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) incentivizes resilience by offering premium reductions for communities that exceed standard flood mitigation requirements. Despite the program’s benefits, only 1,500 of nearly 23,000 NFIP communities participate in the CRS. High-rated regions, like Miami-Dade County, see substantial annual savings and reduced storm impacts, reinforcing the importance of robust stormwater systems. Other initiatives, such as Strengthen Alabama Homes, provide funding for resilience retrofits that also yield insurance discounts and lower claims. Additionally, natural features like wetlands and reforestation projects contribute to flood management, as demonstrated by efforts in Florida and Milwaukee.

Insurance companies, which utilize advanced data and analytics to assess risk, play a crucial role in facilitating these resilience efforts, encouraging stakeholders to adopt strategies that minimize damage while enhancing community safety.