A Piece of the Puzzle: Insurance Industry Perspective on Mitigation

Abstract

As the risk reduction community seeks to harness innumerable resources available and mold them into effective mitigation programs, communication and understanding among stakeholders are more critical than ever. The insurance industry has a long history of loss-prevention successes and is applying this experience to the mitigation of natural disaster losses. While most are familiar with the generalities of insurance coverage, relatively few understand what drives the industry and what its unique tools, obstacles, and issues are in relation to natural disasters. This paper offers an insider's view of the industry's approach to mitigation, focusing on why mitigation is important to this business sector, what the industry is doing to promote preparedness, what some of the obstacles are in its work, and how it can better prepare itself for the challenges ahead.