WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE:TRV),
will host its fourth annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness Season”
symposium today at the Dirksen Senate Office Building. According to
predictions from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), there is a 70 percent likelihood of 8-13 named
storms for the 2014 Atlantic hurricane season.
Travelers is partnering with the Insurance
Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) on this year’s
symposium to highlight the importance of disaster preparation and
resiliency for both businesses and individuals. According to the
recently released Travelers
Business Risk Index, nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed
stated their business does not have a formal continuity plan in place,
putting those companies at risk in the event of a severe weather
occurrence.
“Though last year was a relatively quiet hurricane season in the U.S.,
businesses and individuals should not become complacent,” said Joan
Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice
President of Public Policy at Travelers. “Proactive disaster preparation
can significantly help to mitigate the effects of and recover from a
storm.”
Leaders from the private sector and academia will explore disaster
preparedness tactics and resiliency ahead of the 2014 hurricane season,
which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, while sharing lessons learned from
prior weather events.
This year’s panel discussion, moderated by Woodward, will include the
following risk preparedness professionals:
- Debra T. Ballen, General Counsel and Senior Vice President,
Public Policy, IBHS
- Stephen E. Flynn, Professor of Political Science; Director, Center
for Resilience Studies; Co-Director, George J. Kostas Research
Institute for Homeland Security, Northeastern University
- Scott Humphrey, Director of Technical Service, Risk Control,
Travelers
“The evidence is clear that communities with disaster preparedness plans
in place have a higher level of community resilience, which means lower
disaster recovery costs overall, reduced government post-disaster aid
and most importantly fewer lives lost,” Ballen said.
Ballen will discuss IBHS’
FORTIFIED Home - Hurricane program, which provides superior
construction and retrofit standards for new and existing homes. These
standards are designed to strengthen homes during severe high wind
weather events and are recognized through financial incentives in
several states. Ballen also will highlight IBHS’ new OFB (Open for
Business)-EZ program, which provides a free, easy-to-use toolkit for
small businesses to create their own business continuity plans.
Humphrey will describe Travelers’ new strategy guide for business
continuity planning, ABC-GoSM to help
businesses assess and reduce their vulnerabilities.
“The guide is applicable to companies of all sizes and industries,” he
said. “ABC-Go provides a simple four-step process to help
businesses develop an effective business continuity plan and formulate
their own disaster preparedness strategies.”
Flynn, author of The Edge of Disaster: Rebuilding a Resilient Nation and
America the Vulnerable, will address how past storms teach
lessons that are applicable on a national scale and can inform all
communities in boosting their resilience to disasters.
The Travelers Institute launched “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness
Season” in 2011 to help consumers and businesses better prepare for and
respond to the risks associated with threatening storms. Please visit
Travelers.com for more information on preparing
for disaster.
About Travelers Institute
The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers
Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy
topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and the financial
services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the
industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management and the technical
expertise of many of Travelers underwriters, risk managers and other
experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policy
makers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property
casualty insurance for auto,
home,
and business.
For more information, visit www.Travelers.com.
About IBHS
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s mission is to
conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective
actions that strengthen homes, businesses, and communities against
natural disasters and other causes of loss. Visit https://www.disastersafety.org/
for more information.
Travelers Institute
Luke Shane, 860-277-4090
lshane@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.