Over the years Louisiana has suffered significant property losses due to severe storms and hurricanes. In order to help homeowners prevent damage and save money on insurance premiums, a grant program has been developed incorporating parts of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety FORTIFIED Roof™ recommendations. The Louisiana Department of Insurance published a news release announcing the start of the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP). The program will begin its first round of grants for eligible homeowners on October 2nd, 2023. Homeowners must have a policy with Louisiana's FAIR plan, the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, to be eligible for this first round. 

The first round will consist of 500 grants being awarded to eligible applicants on a first-come, first served basis. The grants offer up to $10,000 for homeowners to repair or replace their roofs to the FORTIFIED™ Roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). The standard is based on decades of research by IBHS and designed to strengthen and protect homes against severe weather such as hail, hurricanes, and tornadoes. 

The LFHP has secured enough funding to award around 3,000 grants, with the intended plan of awarding the first half to Citizens policyholders, and the remaining half to all eligible homeowners across the state. The first round of 500 grants will only be given to policyholders of Citizens.