All Features articles
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Features
Hurricane risk at high resolution
We are using high resolution climate models and supercomputers to assess future hurricane risk to the United States and Caribbean at precision never before seen. By Greg Holland with James Done, Jim Hurrell, David Hosansky and Asuka Suzuki
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Features
A geographical understanding of risk
The advent of satellite navigation and the birth of Google Earth, Google Maps and France’s Geoportail have alerted everyone involved in the management of catastrophes to the value of geographical information systems. By François-Xavier Goblet
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Features
Seeing risk: Floods
The 2007 UK summer floods pushed flooding up the agenda for politicians and businesses alike. A year and a half later topographical maps and modelling technologies have improved to give us better tools to manage the risks. By Justin Butler
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FeaturesSubsidence: A gradual catastrophe
Subsidence losses have been a hidden catastrophe for the insurance industry. UK buildings insurers have paid out a total of more than €8 billion since 1976, and the cost of claims in France since its inclusion in the Catastrophes Naturelles scheme in 1989 forced the government to increase insurance premium ...
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Features
Catastrophe risk management using multiple models
While catastrophe models follow a similar overall approach to risk assessment, there can be wide variations in results, leaving users to question which is the most appropriate. By Atul Khanduri
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Features
Calculating the risk of terrorism
An investment in basic research on terrorism will be paid back many times, as a better knowledge of threats will make risk calculation more of a science than an art. By Professor Alex Schmid
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FeaturesWhy the next big northeast hurricane will surprise
A repeat of the 1938 New England Hurricane could cause losses as large as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. By Karen Clark
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FeaturesWinds of change for agricultural risks
Changing climate and commodity price trends are steering agricultural risk in a new direction. The result is a rethink of exposure, products and product design. By Thomas Heintz
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Features
Converting knowledge into action
Anselm Smolka was one of the few geoscientists in the insurance sector when he joined Munich Re Group. Today he is head of Geo Risks, corporate underwriting for the group. He tells Catastrophe Risk Management about his work. By Lee Coppack
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FeaturesThe watercourse of nature
Anne-Claire Serres is an agronomist specialised in hydrology, who heads the catastrophe quantification team at Paris Re. She talks to Catastrophe Risk Management about her work. By Lee Coppack
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FeaturesWho pays for hurricanes?
For decades residential and commercial property insurance policyholders in the United States have had a place to go if they are having difficulty obtaining coverage in the standard market. By Claire Wilkinson
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FeaturesWithstanding the forces of nature
A country’s entire population cannot live in a few select locations that are not vulnerable to natural disasters, but good precautions can make any place more resilient. By Robert Morelli
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FeaturesWorking towards solutions for flood
Since 1980, Europe has suffered 17 catastrophic floods that have done at least $75 billion worth of economic damage in total. Only about 25% of these losses were insured. The devastating and costly events of 2002 and 2007 have spurred searches for better planning, precautions and financial solutions. By Lee ...
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FeaturesWhy flood losses are increasing
Exposure, the governing factor An almost explosive growth in the values of property in flood-prone areas and the much greater vulnerability of the things that people own are the main reasons for rising flood losses. By Wolfgang Kron
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FeaturesInfrastructure deterioration
Many parts of the US infrastructure such as levees, dams, bridges and roads have deteriorated to a point that they may not withstand a catastrophe or the use to which they would be put during a disaster. By Paul Mlakar
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FeaturesEssential criteria for the creation of reliable cyber insurance
If there is valuable data, you can guarantee threats to its security will not be far behind
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FeaturesDifferentiating our view of cat risk
Over estimating catastrophe risks is as bad as underestimating them, as both create additional costs. We must understand risk better than our competitors to grow, decrease costs and maximise returns. By Gero Michel
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FeaturesThe Black Swan slain
Developing futures scenarios is a strategic risk management technique for considering what could happen in the future and its possible impact on a company’s objectives. The goal is to establish the basis for managing uncertain or unknown events.By Scott Randall
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FeaturesInland flood models available
Catastrophe Risk Management surveyed the three proprietary modelling companies, AIR Worldwide, EQECAT and Risk Management Solutions (RMS) to discover what European inland flood models are available. By Lee Coppack
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FeaturesStrategic planning to reduce flood impact across Europe
On 26 November 2007, the new European Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks entered into force. For the first time, EU legislation requires its members to plan strategically to reduce the adverse consequences of flood events on human health, economic activities, the environment and cultural heritage. ...
