FEMA: The Nation Needs Better Building Codes »

FEMA

THE NATION NEEDS BETTER BUILDING CODES

The annual hurricane season has officially arrived. It kicks off the first of June every year and lasts until November 30th. This year a record number of hurricanes are expected. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — who runs the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) — knows that means devastation for homeowners along the

nation’s Gulf Coast and East Coast. At the same time, it’s wildfire season almost year around in the West and Southwest and other parts of the country.

FEMA is also aware of that and the potential disasters from all that water, all that fire and the spawning of a record number of tornadoes after a hurricane hits, and at other times. That awareness has led the agency to push for a revision of building codes around the country.

That was a topic of discussion last week when FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell and President Biden’s deputy national climate advisor, Ali Zaidi did a briefing on hurricanes.

They said two of every three communities in the U.S. have antiquated building codes.

As such, the homes and businesses built in them are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and the now higher energy costs we are all currently experiencing. That’s why the two officials support FEMA’s new National Initiative to Advance Building Codes.

Criswell said it is designed to help cities and towns easily update their building codes and will “save lives, reduce property damage, and lower utility bills.”

She said the plan will apply only to new construction and to homes and buildings built, or rebuilt, due to damage. “The adoption of hazard resistant building codes saves communities $11 per every $1 invested,” Criswell said.

The White House is totally behind the proposed changes. In a news release just before the hurricane briefing, it said “With extreme weather events threatening millions of homes each year, and taking a greater toll on underserved communities, every dollar invested in building code adoption provides eleven times more in savings by reducing damage and helping communities recover more quickly.”

The White House says new energy codes could save households $162 a year.

On the insurance association side of things, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association’s (APCIA) Nat Wienecke likes the proposed updates. He noted that P&C insurers are frontline responders when natural disasters strike.

“For decades APCIA members have advocated for policies and increased investments that help prevent and reduce such devastation,” Wienecke said. “This includes establishing and funding loss mitigationfocused organizations like the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.”

Wienecke added the new codes will help communities be more resilient with the severe weather being brought upon us by global warming.

“APCIA commends the Biden-Harris Administration for taking action to enhance climate resilience for communities by supporting the adoption of modern, hazardresistant building codes and standards,” Wienecke said. “This action is critical to increasing their capacity to withstand, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.”

Source: Insurance Journal Insurance Business America

The Most Data-Breached Nation on Earth

Not a Hard One to Guess

It doesn’t take a statistical genius to figure out what country on the planet sees the most data breaches. It’s the United States. Far and away.

That’s the conclusion of the cybersecurity firm, Surfshark. Those facts come from a study of 18-years of criminal hacking. That’s not a surprise. What’s most shocking is this statistic: on average, every internet user in the U.S. since 2004 has lost 27 pieces of data.

After analyzing 15 billion data points, Surfshark found most of what was lost are emails, passwords and usernames. That puts those users in danger of having their accounts taken over.

Over 8.7 billion last names, first names, internet protocol addresses, passwords, usernames and other data has been sold, or leaked online, since 2004.

Second in data breaches is Russia. Both the U.S. and Russia account for 30% of the total breaches seen worldwide in that 18-year period.

More News on the Great Resignation

Returning to the Office

A survey by Nationwide is shedding new light on workers returning to the office full-time. Most business owners — the study found — will want all employees back in the office full time in the next year or so.

As you know — and as the Nationwide Agency Forward survey suggests — employees want to keep flexibility on where they work and when.

The younger the worker, the more flexibility they are demanding. Of all of Generation Z’s employees (born between 1997 and 2012), 62% say they’ll leave employment at a company solely based on plans to return them to the office. Nationwide’s vice president of commercial lines, Linda Stueber said millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are a bit more flexible. Just half would leave a company based on office return plans.

“Three-quarters of U.S. workers received flexibility with how and when they worked during the pandemic, and of those who didn’t have flexibility, 42% considered leaving their jobs as a result,” Stueber said. “Employers who are able to demonstrate continued flexibility and personalization for employees in their work will be most successful in today’s competitive labor market.”