Incoming Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is running Louisiana’s roof fortification program. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
Louisiana homeowners living in coastal parishes can apply for state grants up to $10,000 to help fortify their roofs. The application period ends at 5 p.m. Friday.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance is giving out 300 grants randomly through a lottery system. An additional 200 households will be placed on a wait list.
Those who qualify must live in an established coastal zone or in Sulphur, Lake Charles and Westlake in Calcasieu Parish.
The coastal zone includes all parishes that touch the Gulf of Mexico plus Orleans, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, St. James and Assumption as well as parts of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Ascension and Livingston parishes.
Homes eligible for the grant must be a primary residence that qualifies for the homestead exemption. Applicants must also have homeowners insurance with wind coverage for their property. If they live in the Special Flood Hazard Area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), they must also have flood insurance.
Condominiums, newly constructed homes and mobile homes are not eligible for the grants. Homes on a foundation constructed of unrestrained stacked masonry or stone are also not eligible unless retrofitted, according to the insurance department.
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There are no income requirements for the applicants, meaning people can apply for the money regardless of their financial situation.
Those who qualify for a grant are responsible for paying for the evaluation of their existing roof. If the cost of the roof upgrade goes over $10,000, the homeowner will be responsible for making up the difference in price.
The grant money will go directly to contractors who work on the roofs and will not be sent to the homeowners directly.
Elected officials are hoping this roof fortification assistance will help bring down homeowner insurance expenses across Louisiana, where premiums have skyrocketed following two Category 4 hurricanes, Laura and Ida, in 2020 and 2021. The state wants to create a critical mass of hardened roofs in south Louisiana to lower risk for the insurance industry.
Louisiana lawmakers, former Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon and former Gov. John Bel Edwards first funded Louisiana’s roof fortification program in 2023. Gov. Jeff Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple continued the grants this year.
Those who want to apply or get more information about the program can visit here.
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