Blue tarps cover roofs in Larose in October 2021, six weeks after Hurricane Ida. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple wants to make a state roof fortification grant program available to more low- and moderate-income homeowners. (Wes Muller/Louiisiana Illuminator)
Registration for Louisiana’s fortified roof grant program opened Wednesday for its first lottery round of 2025.
The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, which offers up to $10,000 to homeowners who install hurricane-resistant roofs on their houses, is now in its third calendar year.
The registration period will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 16), at which point the Louisiana Department of Insurance will randomly select 1,000 grant recipients. This round of grants is limited to residents of Louisiana’s coastal zone and the cities of Lake Charles, Sulphur and Westlake. Homeowners can find out if they live in the zone by entering their address into the search field of the state’s online coastal zone map. Homes within the blue-shaded area of the map are eligible.
Homeowners are required to create a profile on the program’s website before registering for the lottery. Homeowners who registered during a previous round but were not selected must register again if they want to participate in the current round.
People who register on the last day of the registration period have the same chance of being selected as those who register on the first day, so there is no need to rush to register, according to a Department of Insurance news release.
Louisiana’s fortified roof grant program carries over millions in unspent funds
The Fortify Homes Program has so far awarded about 1,800 grants since its first round of funding in October 2023, Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said.
The program awards grants of up to $10,000, so homeowners need to cover any costs that exceed that amount. They also might need to pay for some of the work upfront because the state issues grant checks to contractors only after they complete the job.
A fortified roof, one that meets the standards of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, are built with improved materials and techniques that can stop leaks and withstand winds of up to 150 mph, lowering the risk of storm damage and typically leading to lower homeowner insurance rates.
To qualify for a fortified roof grant, Louisiana homeowners have to get a state-approved evaluator to inspect their home. They must then obtain bids from at least three insurance department-approved contractors who can do the work. The department’s website lists approved evaluators and contractors.
The program has a number of other eligibility requirements that can be found at www.ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes.
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