To recap the issues raised during last week’s conference call, here are the key media stories we discussed, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, February 1, please email Michael Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
DEADLY TORNADOES TOUCH DOWN IN GEORGIA AND MISSISSIPPI
The tornadoes swept through multiple southeastern U.S. states on the weekend of January 21-22, with 15 of the 19 reported fatalities occurring in Georgia.
The Georgia Insurance Department is meeting with impacted residents and businesses on Tuesday, January 31, and Wednesday, February 1, outside the Albany Civic Center.
Four tornado-caused deaths occurred in Mississippi and about 1,100 homes were either damaged or destroyed.
INSURERS OFFER INSIGHTS ON COVERING LADY GAGA’S SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE
Should Lady Gaga perform on the roof of the NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday, February 5, the National Football League may need to purchase specialized insurance coverage, Marketwatch reports.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
Univision 41, a Spanish-language television station which covers New York and New Jersey, is in the market for insurers who would be willing to appear in two upcoming stories. One is on cyber insurance, specifically how doctors’ offices need this coverage to protect their patients’ sensitive information. The other segment will promote insurers that are recruiting at an upcoming job fair in either New York or New Jersey. Contact the I.I.I.’s Elianne González at elianneg@iii.org for more information.
CAPITOL HILL
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) recently borrowed $1.6 billion to meet its financial commitments.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak, former New York Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills and Arkansas state Senator Jason Rapert have emerged as contenders for insurance-related Trump administration posts.
STATES
California
In a unanimous ruling, the state’s Supreme Court upheld regulations the adopted by the Insurance Department regarding how insurers calculate the replacement cost value of a home.
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones says his Climate Risk Carbon Initiative has prompted insurers to divest more than $4 billion in thermal coal and other fossil fuel investments.
The I.I.I.’s Janet Ruiz was quoted in a Monterey Herald story about the importance of purchasing a flood insurance policy in addition to a homeowners policy as heavy rains continued to fall statewide.
Florida
Billions of dollars allocated towards the state’s hurricane risks withstood its first real test in 2016 but Risk Market News notes startup insurers will need to model more dire scenarios to understand their true exposure.
Cooler ocean temperatures and lofty crosswinds have been shielding Florida during active hurricane periods, The Palm Beach Post reports, citing a study published this month in Nature.
Former Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher has joined Deerfield Beach-based People's Trust Insurance Co. as its chief operating officer.
Louisiana
Surplus lines insurers are offering flood policies but few homeowners are buying it from them so far, according to a detailed article in The Baton Rouge Advocate.
New York
Legislation to allow physician-assisted suicide was introduced in Albany on Monday, January 23.
Oklahoma
A number of homes were damaged in Logan County yesterday (January 24) after a wildfire burned nearly 200 acres north of Edmond, according to The Oklahoman.
Tennessee
The estimated insurance payouts from the Gatlinburg (Sevier County) wildfires in late 2016 now exceed $800 million, the Associated Press reports.
Washington
The city of Everett is suing Purdue Pharma for allowing OxyContin “to be funneled into the black market, causing the current opioid crisis in Everett.”
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
National Weather Service (NWS) tracking aftermath of GA, MS tornadoes
The fatal tornadoes in the South have been a topic of heavy discussion on social media. The I.I.I. is highlighting tornadoes and thunderstorms on its website’s homepage. For frequent NWS updates and damage surveys in Georgia and Mississippi, follow @NWSAtlanta and @NWSJacksonMs on Twitter.
New York City’s (NYC) Vision Zero program
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio is budgeting $400 million next year for his Vision Zero initiative. The program is committed to reducing NYC traffic fatalities via street redesign and engineering. Follow the conversation on social by using the hashtag #VisionZero, and de Blasio at @NYCMayor. The city’s Department of Transportation is at @NYC_DOT.
NY Boat Show
The New York Boat Show is being held from January 25-29, 2017, at The Javits Center in New York City. The I.I.I. tweeted its editorial content on boat insurance, which you can share with your audiences.
MEDIA MATTERS
Peter Liguori, president and CEO of Tribune Media, is leaving the company in March 2017.
HBO’s Becoming Warren Buffett documentary premieres on Monday, January 30.
The I.I.I. is cited regularly in the media as an authoritative source of insurance information. To access the current I.I.I. press clips, click here
