PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island ranks in the top one-third of coastal states based on how its building codes protect against hurricanes, according to a report published on Tuesday.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s 2021 report rates 18 coastal states based on how their residential building codes educate property owners and set and enforce standards to address hurricanes and other natural disasters. It also considered certification and licensing requirements for state building officials and construction and trade workers.
“Ensuring that standards required by the building code are incorporated into construction of residential dwellings has a direct relationship to building resilience,” the report stated. This is particularly important amid a warming climate that has already increased the frequency and severity – and in turn, destruction – of coastal storms, with 12 named storms making landfall during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, the report stated.
Rhode Island ranks 6th out of the 18 states included in the report, earning a score of 89 out of a possible 100 points. While it does follow standard building code guidelines, it relies on a prior version of the International Residential Code that does not incorporate newer rules around protecting buildings in hurricane-prone areas closest to the coast or with high winds. The report recommends the state incorporate these updated guidelines, which call for stricter enclosures on buildings in “wind-borne debris regions.”
Rhode Island scored better than neighboring Massachusetts, which saw a decline in its overall score to 78 points due to changes that weakened its state building codes. Connecticut received the same score as Rhode Island.
Rhode Island has improved its score by 11 points since the first study was released in 2012.
Florida received the top score of 95, while Delaware fell to the bottom of the pack with a score of 17.
Other states included in the rankings are Virginia, South Carolina, New Jersey, North Carolina, Louisiana, Maryland, Georgia, New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi.
