To recap the issues raised during Wednesday’s conference call, here are some of the key media stories, and the messages we’re conveying.
If there is a subject you would like to see addressed on Wednesday, November 16, please email Mike Barry at michaelb@iii.org.
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES FELT THE LARGEST EARTHQUAKE TO HIT OKLAHOMA IN MODERN TIMES
The 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday night, November 5, and its epicenter was situated more than 40 miles east of Oklahoma City, according to this report from the U.S. Geological Survey. The I.I.I. immediately issued a media advisory which generated interest from national media outlets. In addition, the Southwestern Insurance Information Service (SIIS) worked closely with the Oklahoma media in the days after the quake, posting this backgrounder on earthquake insurance coverage to its website. SIIS was also quoted in this Monday, November 7, article in The Oklahoman about the event’s insurance repercussions.
TROPICAL STORM SEAN BECOMES THE 18TH NAMED STORM OF THE 2011 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON
Tropical Storm Sean formed on Monday evening, November 7, near Bermuda, and the island nation was placed under a tropical storm watch on that night. The National Hurricane Center has issued frequent public advisories this week regarding TS Sean’s path.
HURRICANE IRENE WAS THE DEADLIEST AND COSTLIEST HURRICANE TO MAKE LANDFALL IN THE U.S. SINCE 2008
Forty-five (45) fatalities and at least $7 billion in damages can be attributed to August 2011’s Hurricane Irene, according to the National Climatic Data Center. This Monday, November 7,
USA Today article cited September 2008’s Hurricane Ike as the most recent U.S. windstorm which was as lethal and costly to the U.S. as Irene.
MOODY’S REPORT ASSESSES 2011 NATURAL DISASTERS, AND SAYS 11 EVENTS EACH CAUSED AT LEAST $1 BILLION IN ECONOMIC DAMAGES
The late October snowstorm which hit the East Coast was the latest disaster property/casualty insurers have had to deal with, and it will adversely affect earnings for many insurers in a year of high catastrophe losses, according to this Moody’s report, which was issued on Monday, November 7.
I.I.I. FINDS THAT INSURANCE COMPANY EMPLOYMENT HAS DROPPED WHILE THE NUMBER OF AGENTS & BROKERS HAS REMAINED STEADY OVER TIME
The I.I.I.’s analysis can be found in this PowerPoint presentation, which was pegged to the federal government’s September 2011 employment report. In a surprise, the number of insurance agents and brokers employed in September 2011 is back to what it was in the late winter of 2004, the federal data indicates.
MOTORCYCLES ARE SAFER WHEN EQUIPPED WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKES, THE INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY (IIHS) FINDS
The IIHS released its latest report on the matter on Thursday, November 10.
I.I.I. IS CREATING A GOOGLE+ PAGE
The I.I.I.’s Andréa Basora said the I.I.I. will launch its Google+ page within the next few weeks, allowing the I.I.I. to communicate with a broader online audience.
BLAIN RETHMEIER LEAVES THE AMERICAN INSURANCE ASSOCIATION FOR A POSITION WITH THE U.S. TRAVEL ASSOCIATION
Rethmeier, who had been with the AIA since May 2007, began his new job on Monday, November 7. The details are in this U.S. Travel Association news release.
HURRICANE-STRENGTH WINDS POUND THE WESTERN COAST OF ALASKA; SAID TO BE MOST SEVERE STORM OF ITS KIND IN DECADES
The Associated Press filed this dispatch about the Wednesday, November 9, Alaskan windstorm and its aftermath, on Thursday, November 10.
MISSISSIPPI’S INSURANCE COMMISSIONER IS RE-ELECTED WITH 62 PERCENT OF THE STATEWIDE VOTE
Commissioner Chaney, a former state Senator, easily won another four-year term to his current post on Tuesday, November 8.
ALABAMA REAL ESTATE WRITER HIGHLIGHTS IBHS’s FORTIFIED FOR EXISTING HOMES PROGRAM
This Sunday, November 6, Mobile Press-Register story also focused on the link between loss mitigation and homeowners insurance premium discounts.
OREGON JOURNALIST SEEKING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ON THE ISSUE OF COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND POOR CONSTRUCTION DESIGN
Michael Rose, a reporter with theStatesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, has been tracking the fate of a now-empty five-story office building in Salem, Oregon. Partially owned by Marion County, Oregon, the site housed 340 workers until the summer of 2010, when concerns about the building’s integrity prompted authorities to close the structure indefinitely. If your company has a spokesperson who can add insights into the insurance repercussions of this matter, Rose can be reached via telephone at 503-399-6657, or through his email at mlrose@statesmanjournal.com.
FEMA, IN A REVERSAL, DECLARES LOUISA COUNTY, VIRGINIA ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE
The county was the epicenter of the August 2011 earthquake. The Richmond Times-Dispatch’s story on FEMA’s Friday, November 4, decision was on the front page of its Saturday, November 5, print edition.
BAND THAT WAS TO HAVE PLAYED ON THE NIGHT OF THE INDIANA STATE FAIR STAGE COLLAPSE RETURNS TO INDIANA
ABC’s Good Morning America broadcast on Tuesday morning, November 8, an interview with Sugarland’s lead singer about the band’s return to Indiana, their first visit to the state since the August 13, 2011 stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair killed seven people and injured 45 individuals.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
–An emerging trend this week focused on ways of saving money on insurance. Consumer and business bloggers, as well as insurance company Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, have articles talking about higher deductibles, how safer driving results in lower auto insurance premium rates, and keeping your home in good shape to prevent problems.
–This week’s “tweet of the week” goes to the I.I.I. media advisory from Monday, November 7, about the earthquake that occurred on Saturday, November 5, in Oklahoma. The quake information from the I.I.I. is being shared by reporters and agents. All of them are discussing how earthquake-caused losses are not covered under a standard homeowners insurance policy and that policyholders need additional coverage to protect themselves in the event of an earthquake.
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
For an I.I.I. Blog search, click here.
