City of Kerrville offers tips for protecting your home from disaster

Week 3 of Building Safety Month 2023 is currently underway, and the City of Kerrville is offering citizens some helpful tips on how to protect your home and your community from disaster. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), one of the most cost-effective ways to safeguard our communities against disaster is to adopt and follow hazard-resistant building codes.

According to FEMA, only 27 percent of hazard-prone jurisdictions in the United States have adopted the latest two editions of hazard-resistant building codes, and 65 percent of counties, cities, and towns across the country have not adopted modern building codes. FEMA estimates that the I-Codes could help communities avoid $132 billion to $171 billion in cumulative losses through 2040, and if all new buildings across the U.S. were built to modern editions of the I-Codes, the country could save more than $600 billion by 2060.

It is recommended that families have an evacuation and communication plan in place and an emergency supply kit on hand. For more information, visit Ready.gov. Hazard mitigation is considered a defensive approach that reduces long-term risk to people and property from future disasters. Some websites that contain more information include Climate.gov and www.iccsafe.org/advocacy/building-safety-month/2023-bsm-week-3/. Included in these sites is information which details how to protect your home from severe winds and tornadoes, wildfires, flooding and other climate-related hazards.