BATON ROUGE - For three years, Louisiana has offered grants for homeowners seeking to upgrade their roofs. While most grants have gone to coastal residents, lawmakers want residents farther inland to take advantage and have approved tax credits for upgrading. 

A new state law could give homeowners who qualify up to a $10,000 tax credit for upgrading their roof. 

For homeowners near Baton Rouge, getting a fortified roof might not be a top priority, considering the distance from the coast. Experts say fortified roofs protect not just a home but potentially save homeowners money. 

"One thing we saw after Ida was that most damage came from water intrusion," Caprice Cline with Cypress Roofing said. 

Cline says when shingles and felt were ripped from roofs by the wind, gaps in plywood allowed water to drip through the cracks.

The fortified roof program gives homeowners $10,000 to rebuild and upgrade, but they can cost upwards of $17,000. 

"Your home is going to be much safer from damage during these weather events, and then it also pays off on the front that insurance companies provide discounts," Shelly Kleinpeter with LaHouse said. 

The LSU LaHouse Research and Education Center provides a model of home-building practices that works best on the Gulf Coast with displays of building techniques. 

Most of the state’s grants have gone to Orleans, St. Tammany, and Jefferson parishes. In East Baton Rouge Parish, about five dozen homeowners have upgraded with help from the state. 

"Fortified roofing has already been established there,” Alex Carmouche with Cypress Roofing said. “It's coming inwards because we're seeing more hurricanes, more storms."

The upgrades include added layers of protection, like tape on seams and grooved nails, among other additions, depending on the level of protection homeowners pay for. It also requires an evaluator to track the progress and quality of the work being done.