President Obama recently unveiled details of a $6 billion proposal to provide cash rebates to homeowners who make energy-saving improvements to their homes. While the program, known as Homestar, extends rebates to those who retrofit their homes to make them more energy efficient, it does not provide incentives that would protect homes from major weather events, including hurricanes.
At a time when lack of additional funding forced the state-run My Safe Florida Home program to expire last summer, seeking stimulus funding for mitigation is especially important. Energy savings and disaster resistance can be achieved simultaneously.
An energy-efficient and disaster-resistant home greatly reduces greenhouse gas emissions daily and does not need to be replaced after a storm, further reducing greenhouse gases. For this reason, it is important that the Obama administration consider expanding the Homestar program to include storm mitigation.
My Safe Florida Home helped retrofit nearly 33,000 homes, and various other programs implemented nationwide, including here, have resulted in savings of $4 or more for every $1 spent.
By supporting home mitigation on a federal level we can help protect against the devastating effects of hurricanes while reducing the state's exposure to catastrophic damage.
I urge Florida's congressional delegation to understand the importance of Obama including storm mitigation as part of the Homestar program - to protect some of the country's most vulnerable citizens and the environment.
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