Ten years after Hurricane Andrew, many communities are poorly insured for storms and have permitted building in areas that are vulnerable to natural disaster, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
The New York-based Institute said municipalities still fail to recognize the potential impact of hurricanes in their local land use planning and development practices, making them more vulnerable to damages when storms hit.
The Institute said many properties are underinsured, uninsured or uninsurable.
The Institute found that mitigation efforts to reduce property damage, death, injuries and economic loss from the next Hurricane Andrew have been effective where applied, but their use has been spotty and in some cases their benefit diminished by unwise land use policy.
