To recap the issues raised during this 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, November 5, please email me at michaelb@iii.org.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF STORM RECOVERY RELEASES REPORT ON SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF SANDY
The 44-page document was issued on Wednesday, October 29.
TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TO STORMS LIKE SANDY, U.S. IS INSTALLING HIGH-TECH HYDROLOGICAL SENSORS FROM VIRGINIA TO MAINE
The sensors will provide “emergency managers and hurricane scientists with vital, coastal storm-tide information during, and after, major storms,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
I.I.I. ISSUES NEWS RELEASE ON HALLOWEEN-RELATED PERILS COVERED BY HOMEOWNERS OR RENTERS POLICIES
Fire damage, injured trick-or-treaters and vandalism are some of the things touched upon in the release.
I.I.I.’s PRESIDENT IS INTERVIEWED BY NEW YORK CITY’S PUBLIC RADIO STATION REGARDING EBOLA AND INSURANCE
The I.I.I.’s Bob Hartwig spoke with WNYC for a story pegged to the Brooklyn bowling alley visited by a doctor who was subsequently diagnosed with Ebola.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH AUTO INSURANCE CLAIM PROCESSING HAS CLIMBED STEADILY SINCE 2010
J.D. Power found the industry’s cumulative score rose to 857 in 2014, from 842 in 2010, based on a 1,000 point scale. The I.I.I.’s Claire Wilkinson offered an analysis.
STORIES IN THE WORKS
The I.I.I.’s Hartwig was interviewed by Reuters’ Bill Rigby about the insurance implications of the failed launch of an unmanned rocket in Virginia on Tuesday, October 28.
The I.I.I.’s Michael Barry talked to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Paul Nussbaum about whether auto insurers are canceling policies upon learning their policyholder drives for Uber or Lyft.
The I.I.I.’s Barry is working with Newsday’s Tom Incantalupo on why insuring a car in Long Island towns like Garden City and Lawrence is so expensive (according to this study).
CAPITOL HILL
A never-implemented Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposal might have saved some of the hundreds of people who died since 1993 after initially surviving small plane crashes.
MetLife will contest its designation as a systemically important financial institution (SiFi) at a Monday, November 3, hearing in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.’s City Council approved a bill requiring Uber and Lyft drivers to have $1 million in liability insurance when traveling to, and with, a passenger.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance last week designed to expand the use of income annuities in 401 (k) plans.
STATES
Alabama
Attorney General Luther Strange said he expects to be in court with BP next year, suing over losses the state incurred after shutting down its coastline in 2010.
Arizona
Following flooding in La Paz and Maricopa counties, the state is seeking a federal disaster declaration for the events of September 7-9, 2014.
California
Los Angeles’ City Council expects to receive in January 2015 parts of a report on LA’s “earthquake preparedness in building safety, water issues and communication systems.”
Hawaii
The Kilauea lava flow is advancing toward the Big Island’s Puna District at a rate of a few yards per hour; CNN reports looters are targeting evacuated homes.
Louisiana
Auto insurers paid out more per collision, in 2010, for Louisiana drivers than anywhere else in the U.S., according to a FiveThirtyEight study covered in The Times-Picayune.
The state sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, asking them to pay $3 billion to restore wetlands the Corps allegedly damaged near the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet channel.
Michigan
FEMA’s Joint Field Office in Warren will be the site of a Monday, November 3, meeting on the disbursement of federal disaster aid resulting from the August 11-13, 2014, flooding.
Mississippi
The Clarity Act should be revived in 2015, coastal homeowners say. Having failed in 2013, it would require home insurers to report publicly the claims they have paid, by zip code.
Nevada
The state is seeking federal assistance for Clark County to help the county’s residents recover from the severe storms and flooding of September 7-8, 2014.
New Mexico
The president approved a federal disaster declaration for eight counties in the state after last month’s Hurricane Odile caused severe storms and flooding.
North Carolina
The Rate Bureau’s current bid for a hefty homeowners insurance premium rate hike is hard to swallow, according to this Jacksonville (NC) Daily News editorial.
The Insurance Department believes the commercial auto insurance policy offered by Rasier, LLC, a division of Uber, covers UberX drivers operating in the state.
Texas
A Wednesday, November 5, public hearing will focus on the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association’s plan to raise its residential policies’ maximum liability limits.
Virginia
Orbital Sciences Corporation, a NASA vendor, hosted a conference call today to discuss yesterday’s failure of the company’s unmanned rocket launch in Wallops Island.
The state said it would remove guardrails made by Trinity Industries after Trinity failed to meet a state deadline.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Wednesday, October 29, marked the second anniversary of Sandy. On social, people are sharing their experiences and frustrations about dealing with the storm’s aftermath, while insurance companies are reminding consumers to review regularly their homeowners policies and to purchase flood coverage.
The lava flowing from the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has now reached residential properties in the town of Pahoa, from which residents have already evacuated. A popular photo making the rounds across social shows the lava’s path.
Halloween is Friday, October 31, and, while some either plan to host an event or are concerned someone else’s partying might damage their residence, the I.I.I. explained in a news release which homeowners and renters policy provisions take a little of the fright out of the night.
MEDIA MATTERS
The Alliance for Audited Media says USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times have the largest daily circulations in the U.S., in that order.
Westwood One News announced its New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles correspondents.
The Hartford Courant marked its 250th anniversary.
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.
