Newswise — Five years ago, more than 200 people lost their lives and more than 2,000 injuries were reported from the April 27 tornado outbreak that swept across the state of Alabama. On that day, 35 of 67 Alabama counties suffered damage and 23,552 homes were damaged or destroyed.
The Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research at The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce has partnered with the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, the Alabama Department of Insurance and Smart Home America to produce the 2016 TORNADO PREPAREDNESS GUIDE & INSURANCE TIPS for the state of Alabama.
“Recent studies show that most people have short memories surrounding disasters,” Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research Director Lars Powell said. “As unpleasant as it may be to remember a terrible storm, if we don’t keep the public’s attention, we will not be ready for the next event.”
The guide not only shares how state residents can prepare ahead of time for storms but also how they can work with insurance companies in the recovery process. The guide also offers various facts and information about some of the deadliest and costliest tornado outbreaks, including details from the April 27, 2011 outbreak.
"Tornado preparedness saves lives,” said Jim Ridling, Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Alabama. “The time between detection and destruction is very short, and public education is the best strategy to keep people safe during tornadoes."
Home and business owners will also find information about how to build stronger and safer properties through the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s FORTIFIED™ program. FORTIFIED uses a unique, systems-based method for creating stronger, safer homes and is based on more than 20 years of research, testing and real-world observations by IBHS.
“If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we are more likely to repeat them,” Powell said. “Stronger construction methods could have prevented more than 85 percent of the losses to property from the storm, but many homes and businesses were rebuilt exactly as before.”
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