Record-breaking 2020 Storms & Pandemic Precautions May Increase Preparedness for 2021 Hurricane Season

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans in hurricane-prone states are more likely to prepare early for storms this year compared to last year, according to a new survey from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH). With 30 named storms in 2020, along with more time spent at home due to the pandemic, Americans have turned to quick and affordable options to brace for storms.

A virtual news conference hosted today by FLASH, with special guest National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, addressed the survey findings and the steps homeowners can take to prepare for hurricanes and mitigate home and financial damage.

FLASH surveyed 500 residents across ten hurricane-prone states to better understand consumer awareness of hurricane safety and their readiness for 2021 hurricanes and recovery efforts.

Top survey findings included:

• Nearly 80% of respondents plan to prepare for the 2021 hurricane season ? up 21 percentage points over the 59% who said they planned to prepare in 2020.
• Most respondents are willing to spend at least $100-500 on storm preparation.
• Fewer than half of respondents review their home insurance policy annually, despite the fact that having adequate financial post-storm resources is a critical factor for successful recovery.

"As we approach the 2021 hurricane season, it's crucial that homeowners prepare before a disaster strikes," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "Those precautions include having a thorough understanding of your home and flood insurance policies, completing low-cost DIY home preparation activities, and working out detailed evacuation plans."

FLASH's #HurricaneStrong preparation center provides free bilingual DIY checklists and information sheets on topics including building codes, evacuation zones, insurance, power outage, protecting pets and sandbags, as well as strengthening homes against flooding, high winds, and lightning.

About #HurricaneStrong
The National Hurricane Resilience Initiative - #HurricaneStrong is an award-winning collaboration created in 2016 to save lives and homes through public awareness and education. The effort offers information through special events, news media partnerships, outreach to schools, and social media outreach.

About FLASH
The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk Analytics, Lowe's, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Portland Cement Association, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program No Code. No Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on Twitter, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)