The initiative seeks to protect homeowners and renters while addressing broader community vulnerabilities to flash flooding.
As part of the program, the City of Salem will introduce a no-cost home flood resilience assessment later this year. This initiative aims to enhance flood mitigation efforts, expand insurance access—particularly for underserved families and neighborhoods—and strengthen overall community resilience.
The partnership will leverage insurance industry expertise to develop actionable strategies, including home resilience audits and a community-based insurance solution that incentivizes climate adaptation at both household and municipal levels. By integrating risk reduction measures with financial incentives, the initiative hopes to create a scalable model for flood-prone communities.
Beyond reducing direct risks to property owners, the program is expected to lower retained loss costs, response and recovery expenses, and infrastructure spending, helping to ease financial burdens on governments and taxpayers. Future expansions may also address additional climate-related hazards, such as wind damage, further strengthening long-term resilience efforts.
Charlie Sidoti, Executive Director, InnSure, said: “As climate change accelerates extreme weather patterns and the natural catastrophe insurance protection gap in the United States grows, it’s critical to reward community and government mitigation efforts and integrate insurance solutions early in the planning process. This collaboration with the City of Salem is a promising opportunity to test new insurance models at the community level, and we’re excited to partner with the QBE Foundation and local leaders on this initiative.”
Julie Wood, CEO, QBE North America. “At QBE, we are committed to helping create strong, resilient and inclusive communities. We recognize the important role insurance plays in supporting communities to build resilience and mitigate against climate risk.”
The pilot program officially began on February 11, 2025.
