RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Convective Storm Vulnerability: Quantifying the Role of Effective and Well-Enforced Building Codes in Minimizing Missouri Hail Property Damage
JF Land Economics
JO Land Econ
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 482
OP 508
DO 10.3368/le.90.3.482
VO 90
IS 3
A1 Czajkowski, Jeffrey
A1 Simmons, Kevin M.
YR 2014
UL http://le.uwpress.org/content/90/3/482.abstract
AB Implementing strong building codes is touted as a way to reduce natural disaster property damages. However, at the local level not all jurisdictions adopt equally stringent codes nor properly enforce their codes once they have been adopted. We empirically test whether zip code jurisdictions with effective and well-enforced building codes demonstrate better loss experience from the occurrence of a hail storm than those without. We model Missouri hail claim insurance data from 2008 to 2010. Our results consistently indicate that more favorable building codes do in fact matter in reducing hail damage on the order of 10% to 20%. (JEL Q54, Q58)