IBHS FORTIFIED Program Expands to Include Multifamily Communities

The launch is part of a new IBHS commitment to help make resilient homes available to more Americans.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has expanded FORTIFIED, its voluntary, beyond-code, resilient construction program, to include a standard and designation specifically for multifamily communities.

The new FORTIFIED Multifamily standard lays the path for multifamily developers, owners, and property managers to offer residents homes built or retrofitted to perform better in severe weather, including powerful high winds and heavy rain from thunderstorms, derechos, hurricanes, and even tornadoes.

“We can’t reach critical mass in our quest for a more resilient nation without addressing the needs of the 164 million Americans who live in multifamily housing,” says Roy Wright, president and CEO of IBHS. “Everyone, regardless of where they live or their income, deserves a strong home designed and built to withstand the weather it will face. We’ve sharpened our focus to help ensure more Americans can benefit from IBHS research and better prepare our homes to reduce the damage and destruction caused each year by severe weather.”