Oklahoma insurance commissioner advocates stronger codes for tornado resilience

Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner says the region in the Midwest known as Tornado Alley has not updated building codes in line with new technology and building practices known to make structures more resilient to high winds.

Commissioner John Doak wants to change that, and recently met Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett to advocate for stronger codes. He brought Dr. Timothy Reinhold, Senior V.P. of Research and Chief Engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, to the meeting, and Reinhold told KRMG the central US just hasn't kept with building safety. Codes governing connections between building components, in particular, have not kept up with new codes enacted in coastal hurricane-prone states, he said.