Travelers to Honor Team Rubicon with Community Resilience Award
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE:TRV),
today will host its fifth annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness
Season” symposium at the American Museum of Natural History to mark the
official start of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.
The American Museum of Natural History, the Partnership for New York
City, and Team Rubicon, will participate in the symposium, which will
explore how governments, businesses, and families can prepare for and
recover from severe weather and other natural disasters.
During the symposium, the Travelers Institute and the Travelers
Foundation will present the Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience
Award to Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization whose important work
leverages the skills and experiences of military veterans to deploy
emergency response teams after natural disasters. The award recognizes
organizations that are dedicated to helping communities recover from
severe weather, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. The
organization chosen for the award receives a $100,000 grant from the
Travelers Foundation.
“Preparedness is critical to a quick and effective response to
catastrophes, and it greatly aids in recovery,” said Joan Woodward,
President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of
Public Policy at Travelers. “That’s why we’re proud to launch the
Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award today and to honor
this year’s recipient, Team Rubicon, for its outstanding disaster
response efforts.”
"Team Rubicon has seen firsthand how a little preparedness can go a long
way in the relief and recovery phases of a disaster,” said Jake Wood,
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Team Rubicon. “We're honored to
be selected for the Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award -
an award that will vastly improve our ability to train our veterans to
respond to disasters and help those in need."
Travelers is the presenting sponsor of Nature’s Fury: The Science of
Natural Disasters, currently on view at the American Museum of
Natural History through August 9, 2015. Symposium attendees will have
the opportunity to view this compelling exhibit about the causes of
hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural phenomena, and how
communities handle these crises.
Edmond A. Mathez, curator of Nature’s Fury and curator in
the Museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, will deliver
the keynote address. Woodward will moderate a panel discussion on
hurricane preparedness. Panelists will include:
- Rohit Aggarwala, Principal, Sustainability, Bloomberg Associates;
Professor of Professional Practice and International and Public
Affairs, Columbia University;
- Klaus H. Jacob, Special Research Scientist, Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory, Columbia University;
- Jake Wood, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Team Rubicon; and
- Daniel Zarrilli, Director, Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency,
City of New York.
“Extreme weather events can paralyze an entire economy, underscoring the
need for careful storm preparation,” said Kathryn Wylde, President and
CEO of the Partnership for New York City. “This symposium plays an
important role in establishing the collaboration between business,
government, and residents that is needed to make sure our economy and
communities can withstand whatever the weather brings our way.”
About the 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, as well as the technical
expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers, and other
experts to provide information, analysis, and solutions to public
policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property
casualty insurance for auto,
home,
and business.
For more information, visit www.Travelers.com.
About the Partnership for New York City
The Partnership for New York City’s mission is to engage the business
community in efforts to advance the economy of New York City and
maintain the city’s position as the center of world commerce, finance
and innovation. Through the Partnership Fund for New York City, the
Partnership contributes directly to projects that create jobs, improve
economically distressed communities and stimulate new business creation.
About Team Rubicon
Team Rubicon (TR) unites the skills and experience of military veterans
with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. TR
offers veterans a chance to continue their service by helping and
empowering those afflicted by disasters, and also themselves. For more
about Team Rubicon, visit www.teamrubiconusa.org.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150601005491/en/
Media Contact:
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Judy
Senechal, 860-277-2366
C: 860-338-1384
jlsenech@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.