Symposium educates communities on extreme weather preparation and
highlights Houston’s ongoing recovery efforts
Travelers honors Smart Home America with 2018 Community Resilience
Award
HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Travelers
Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies,
Inc. (NYSE: TRV),
today will hold its eighth annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness
Season” symposium in Houston, Texas, at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Dallas’ Houston Branch. The event focuses on educating communities about
strategies to better prepare for, and respond to, severe storms ahead of
the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1. The event will
also highlight the important progress Houston has made in its recovery
efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects that
hurricanes will become more intense in coming years, increasing their
potential to put lives, homes, businesses and the local economies at
risk. In addition, officials at Colorado State University and North
Carolina State University predict there could be between 14 and 18 named
storms in 2018, with up to five developing into major hurricanes.
Disaster preparedness can help shield communities from costly damage and
help mitigate the negative economic impact of these powerful storms. For
example, a 2017 study conducted by the National Institute of Building
Sciences found that every $1 spent through federal mitigation grants
saves society $6 in future disaster costs.
“Preparedness is critical to safeguarding lives and property from
extreme weather — especially as we head into the 2018 hurricane season,”
said Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive
Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers. “We look forward to
shining a light on how taking precautionary steps before a storm can
help strengthen the resiliency of our neighborhoods.”
The symposium will convene businesses, homeowners and local officials to
discuss how preventive measures can help build stronger communities and
foster economic growth. Thanks to ongoing recovery efforts, the Houston
economy has steadily rebounded, bringing the city back to pre-storm
levels of growth.
“Over the past decade, the Federal Reserve has placed an increased
emphasis on both physical and economic resilience, and you can see that
in the course of Houston’s recovery,” said Daron Peschel, Senior Vice
President In Charge of the Dallas Fed’s Houston Branch. “‘Houston
Strong’ spoke not only to the strength of our community but also to the
strength of our economy.” Peschel will deliver a keynote address on the
Fed’s preparedness and response to Hurricane Harvey and the economic
impact of the storm.
As part of the symposium, safety and industry professionals will expand
on community resiliency strategies during a panel discussion moderated
by Woodward, who will be joined by Peschel and the following panelists:
- David Burke, Vice President, Programs & Field Operations, Team Rubicon
- Eric M. Nelson, Senior Vice President, Catastrophe Strategy &
Analysis, Travelers
- Roy Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Institute
of Business and Home Safety
Burke added, “At Team Rubicon, we deploy military veterans and
volunteers in response to those affected by disasters, so we’re very
familiar with what can happen when a storm rolls through. We hope this
program raises awareness of the hazards of the upcoming hurricane season
and encourages preparedness to prevent damage to property and reduce
overall impacts.”
The symposium will also honor Smart
Home America, a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of
stronger construction methods, improved building codes and policies that
create resilient communities. Smart Home America will receive the annual
$100,000Travelers
Excellence in Community Resilience Award presented by the Travelers
Institute and the Travelers Foundation for its leadership in building
stronger communities using a ground-up approach based on partnership,
education and collaboration across both public and private sectors.
“We are committed to building thriving neighborhoods by supporting
organizations that are creating safe, stable and vital communities,”
said Erin Haberman, Senior Program Officer with the Travelers
Foundation. “We created the Community Resilience Award to shine a light
on organizations doing innovative work to help communities better
prepare for and recover from disasters.”
The event is held in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of
Dallas’ Houston Branch, Team Rubicon, the Independent Insurance Agents
of Houston and the Insurance Council of Texas.
For more information on the Travelers Institute and preparing for
hurricane season, please visit travelers.com.
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 to 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
and casualty insurance for auto,
home
and business.
For more information, visit travelers.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180530005778/en/
Media:
The Travelers Companies, Inc.
Matt Bordonaro,
860-277-7014
mbordona@travelers.com
Source: The Travelers Companies, Inc.