What we need to do now is to make better construction practices a public value and achieve the kind of scale required to make a difference.

As the insurance industry's property loss reduction advocate, the Institute for Business & Home Safety envisions a nation that promotes resiliency from natural disasters and other property-loss events through personal and institutional action. We have a long-range plan in place to help realize this vision by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.

As is the case with most initiatives of this nature, there are both obstacles and opportunities in the path ahead of us and others in the field.

For example, in spite of the recent lessons learned about the vulnerability of this country's structural environment, there remains, in many places, more complacency than complaint about the availability of better built homes and businesses.

There often are still more discussions about the choice of kitchen cabinets than about making the kinds of connections from roof to foundation that will help keep a house from breaking apart in high winds.

But there are reasons to be hopeful. After all, the demand for safer and better-built automobiles took decades to develop, despite long-standing scientific evidence proving these measures saved lives and reduced property losses. Even then auto makers were slow to respond.

This movement will take a similar dedication as well as the power of pioneering companies, organizations and individuals to succeed.

A pioneering effort that is meeting with tremendous success is the "My Safe Florida Home" program, in which IBHS is a partner. As of Oct. 26, 2006, 55,000 Floridians had completed applications to receive free home inspections to determine their risk of hurricane damage and recommend retrofit options, and another 45,000 residents had requested an application.

Inspectors completed 12,000 free home evaluations by Nov. 30--the end of hurricane season.

The Florida Department of Financial Services designed the program around feedback from focus groups that illustrated the public's desire for a means of identifying their home's risks of hurricane damage.

More encouraging signs on the horizon come from research surrounding this issue.

The Insurance Research Council recently determined that most Americans favor public policies that could help mitigate the damage caused by catastrophic natural disasters before they happen, even though many remain personally unprepared.

In another finding, the IRC also learned nine out of 10 adults support the adoption and enforcement of building codes to make new homes stronger and safer.

Further, two-thirds would support building codes even when they would add 6 percent to the cost of a new home.

When it comes to the lawmakers the public depends upon to lead them, it's a decidedly mixed bag. Despite a growing body of research showing that statewide building codes--and adequate enforcement of those codes--play a vital role in public safety and loss prevention, legislators in some states apparently remain unconvinced.

Louisiana had no statewide building code in place prior to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In its wake, lawmakers there approved a mandatory statewide building code within four months of the disaster.

In contrast, their neighbors in Mississippi passed a weak version of a similar bill that essentially makes code adoption optional--a surefire way to invite disaster the next time the winds blow.

Even in Florida, which is a poster state for well-written and enforced codes, there exists an area in the Panhandle that is exempted from the same windborne debris standards applied to the rest of the state.

Elsewhere, we're hopeful that Alabama, which lacks a building code, will move forward with current discussions and follow Louisiana's lead.

As for home builders, some have resisted code improvements, while others have embraced the movement and have taken it a step further. Early adapters have carved out markets in disaster-prone areas by implementing stronger, safer construction including the use of our trademarked code-plus "Fortified...for safer living" program, which can be applied for pennies on the dollar. They both have waiting lists for their "Fortified" homes.

By constructing homes this way, these builders and others like them are able to offer buyers confidence that their structures will better withstand severe weather conditions. This is similar to what was witnessed some time ago when certain car manufacturers employed the novel approach of using safety features as a marketing tool--a scenario now embraced by the majority of the industry.

Also akin to the vehicle safety development arena, education and action rooted in science is an important tactic in the process of establishing property protection as a public value.

For example, after the 2004 hurricane season, IBHS engineers conducted tests and inspected damaged properties in central and south Florida to see what construction practices and material deficiencies may have contributed to losses.

One example was found in the installation and production of soffit materials--such as the underside of a roof extending beyond exterior walls. Many builders were not following the manufacturer's instructions for installation, and this practice caused the materials to fail. Water entered the attics and resulted in widespread damage.

This was one of the findings that led to an amendment to the Florida building code, which took effect in December. Manufacturers are required to produce soffit materials capable of withstanding the same pressures as those applied to windows installed on nearby walls. Builders, however, also must commit to use best practices when installing these materials.

Preparing people and their communities to withstand and recover from a disaster also extends to the business community. After all, a community cannot survive unless its businesses thrive. IBHS research shows 25 percent of small businesses that close following a disaster never reopen.

Through our trademarked "Open for Business" program, small and medium-sized businesses--many with limited resources--are given a toolkit for mitigating property losses and creating a plan to continue operating even if disaster strikes.

In addition, a special Internet-based, interactive version of the toolkit is being used by a growing number of these businesses, as provided through their IBHS member insurers.

It's time to focus on the steps needed to become better prepared as a nation.

By seizing opportunities to enhance public education, we can overcome obstacles and empower home- and businessowners with the tools to take charge of their preparedness.

Over time, property losses, whether natural or maintenance-related, can be reduced and sometimes eliminated. These efforts should greatly affect the affordability and availability of homeowners insurance.