Opened in 2010, the IBHS Research Center offers full-scale testing of buildings and their materials under the harshest conditions. There, researchers are able to simulate Category 3 hurricanes and replicate wildfires in order to find best practices for mitigating the losses incurred by various natural disasters. Important findings have included a deeper understanding in how to reduce the risks posed by flying embers, and how shutting interior doors can protect homes from avoidable hurricane damage.

Funded by insurance companies, the organization's CEO Roy Wright tells NPR of the increased support for their research. "We've hit an inflection point where we're seeing more events impact more Americans," Wright says. "Our members have increased their investment and said, 'We want more researchers here. We want to see more activity playing out here.' We are collectively responding to this changing world that we're in."

Last year, the Camp and Woosley Wildfires in California caused between $15 billion and $19 billion in losses, to say nothing of the human toll. As climate change makes these extreme conditions all the more frequent and damaging, insurance companies are looking for actionable research that can help them incentivize ways of making homes more resilient.