How Vulnerable is New England to a Major Hurricane? Disaster Safety Officials Warn of Devastating Impact

Bill Read, Director of the National Hurricane Center, will join with hurricane experts, meteorologists and insurance industry leaders to convene the Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum (invitation only), a two day conference to address the threats associated with a major New England Hurricane.

The Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum will take place at the Newport Marriott; 25 Americas Cup Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, Thursday, July 10, beginning at 3:00 pm and will conclude mid-day on Friday, July 11th. The sponsors of the Forum include WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. (http://www.weatherpredict.com/), Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. – FLASH ® (http://www.flash.org/), RenaissanceRe, (http://www.renre.com) and the University of Rhode Island (http://www.uri.edu).

When it comes to hurricanes, much of the national focus has been on Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, where Hurricane Katrina and a string of other deadly storms in 2004 and 2005 wreaked havoc. Yet, emergency management experts have long feared the devastating impact a major hurricane would have on New England. A series of panel discussions will address the multitude of threats associated with a major hurricane. The Forum Agenda is as follows:

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Welcome Remarks

Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri

Bill Read, Director, National Hurricane Center

Robert Weygand, Vice President, University of Rhode Island

3:15 pm – 3:45 pm Major Hurricane Strikes New England: How Large Will the Impact Be?

Karen Clark, Karen Clark & Company

Karen Clark is an internationally recognized expert in the field of catastrophe risk assessment and management. Ms. Clark developed the first hurricane catastrophe model and in 1987 founded the first catastrophe modeling company, Applied Insurance Research (AIR) which subsequently became AIR Worldwide Corporation after acquisition by Insurance Services office in 2002. She is an expert on Northeast hurricane risk. She has spent over 20 years working closely with meteorologists, seismologists, engineers and other experts to develop the most scientifically advanced catastrophe models, and she has developed processes to benchmark catastrophe models for all types of natural hazards in 50 countries.

3:45 pm – 4:15 pm Making the Case for Mitigation

Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President and CEO, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes – FLASH®

FLASH is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to promoting disaster safety and property loss mitigation. FLASH’s work in helping homeowners understand how to protect their families and property from hurricanes was recognized this year with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National Hurricane Conference. FLASH has done extensive work with the State of Florida, helping to develop innovative public awareness campaigns to promote hurricane readiness and mitigation techniques to make homes more hurricane resistant.

4:15 pm – 5:30 pm Examining the New England Hurricane Threat – What if the 1938 Northeast Hurricane Happened Today?

Moderator: David Vallee, NOAA/National Weather Service

Panelists: Isaac Ginis, University of Rhode Island/WeatherPredict

Kelly Knee, Applied Science Associates

Dail Rowe, WeatherPredict

“The Great Hurricane of 1938” or “The Long Island Express” as it is also known, ranks as one of America’s deadliest hurricanes. While technology has advanced dramatically since 1938, experts predict a storm of this magnitude striking today would still cause devastating damage. This panel will explore the damage that could be expected from a Category 3 hurricane making landfall on New England.

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Friday, July 11th, 2008

8:00am - 9:15 am How Can the Northeast be More Resilient to Natural Hazards?

Moderator: Pam Rubinoff, Rhode Island Sea Grant/University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center

Panelists: Howard Kunreuther, Wharton School

Nanette Lockwood, Solutia, Inc.

Timothy Reinhold, Institute for Business and Home Safety

Craig Tillman, WeatherPredict

Modern building codes and better coastal planning can both contribute to greater hurricane resistance for communities in hurricane prone areas. This panel will examine public policies and other strategies states and local governments can adopt to improve their community’s hurricane resistance.

9:15 am – 10:30 am Case Study – Rhode Island Hurricane Emergency Preparedness

Moderator: Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi, Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Rhode Island

Panelists: Lee Ann Quinn, South County Hospital

Natasha Thomas, University of Rhode Island

J. David Smith, Rhode Island Emergency Management

Lack of proper preparation can doom any disaster response effort to failure. Rhode Island emergency management officials have paid close attention to the deadly lessons learned by other hurricane prone states and have worked to incorporate those lessons into their own response plans. This panel will examine current plans by Rhode Island emergency managers working in state and local government and in health care to meet the needs of Rhode Islanders impacted by a hurricane.

10:30 am – 11:15 am Hurricane Preparedness

Bill Read, National Hurricane Center

Bill Read is the new director of the National Hurricane Center. He has spent 30 years of his career as a weather professional with NOAA, dedicated to protecting lives from severe weather, much of it hurricanes and tropical storms. Early in his career he served in the U.S. Navy where his duties included an assignment as an on-board meteorologist with the Hurricane Hunters. He will explain why all the breakthroughs in the science of warning and weather forecasting mean little--in 2008 and beyond--if a vulnerable public is unaware of or unprepared for a major hurricane.

11:15 am – 12:30 pm Economic, Social and Environmental Impact of Hurricanes

Moderator: Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH

Panelists: David Maurstad, FEMA

Jeanne Salvatore, Insurance Information Institute

Gail Scowcroft, University of Rhode Island

Hurricanes can cause obvious environmental damage through wide spread flooding and massive beach erosion. But economic and social damage can be just as severe. When businesses are destroyed by hurricanes, job loss threatens people’s livelihood. When homes and destroyed, people are often forced to leave the affected area to find temporary housing, often resulting in the abandonment of jobs, causing further economic disruption. Dislocation from the support network of family and friends can also slow a person’s recovery from a hurricane.

12:30 pm Closing Remarks and Conclusion

Important Conference Logistics Information

1) Media are asked to RSVP to Greg Coppa of Cote & D’Ambrosio, via email at coppa@cotedambrosio.com or by phone at 401-294-4444, ext. 102.

2) Any media needing room accommodations can contact any of the following hotels:

Contacts:

For Northeast Hurricane Mitigation Leadership Forum
Greg Coppa, 401-294-4444, ext. 102
Cell: 401-523-2797