, 18, a freshman at Vanderbilt University

Funk contributed to this report from Omaha, Nebraska.study of hurricane-affected homes sends a clear message to insurers and homeowners nationwide: climate-resilient construction methods can protect homes, and save a lot of money.

The first-of-its-kind, released this week, reviews thousands of insurance claims linked to, which struck Alabama’s coast in 2020 with wind speeds up to 105 miles per hour. Homes retrofitted or built to Fortified standards, a voluntary construction code created by the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) for wind and rain mitigation saw significantly fewer and less costly claims.

If every impacted house in Mobile and Baldwin counties had met Fortified standards, insurance companies could have spent 75% less in payouts, saving up to $112 million, and policyholders could have paid up to 65% less in deductibles, saving almost $35 million, according to the study.The results show “mitigation works and that we can build things that are resilient to climate change,” said Dr. Lars Powell, director of the Center for Risk and Insurance Research at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, which led the study with the Alabama Department of Insurance.

Across the United States, insurance markets are

, and federal support isTrump, separately, urged Powell to cut rates, citing lower inflation and energy prices on his social media platform, Truth Social.

“This would be a PERFECT time for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut Interest Rates,” Trump. “CUT INTEREST RATES, JEROME, AND STOP PLAYING POLITICS!”

Economists expect that the tariffs will, possibly threaten hiring, and push up prices. In that scenario, the Fed could cut rates to bolster the economy, or it could keep rates unchanged — or even hike them — to combat inflation. Powell’s comments suggest the Fed will mostly focus on inflation.