November 16, 2017 Marilyn Montgomery At the time of this post, Marilyn was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wharton Risk Center. Flood insurance takes a variety of forms around the world. To complement ongoing discussions about flood insurance reform, the Wharton Risk Center developed an interactive flood insurance market e-platform…Read More
Climate Center
Legacy of Harvey and Irma Turns on FEMA’s Post-Disaster Response
September 15, 2017 Brett Lingle Senior Research Coordinator at Wharton Risk Center Hurricane Harvey destroyed vital roads, public infrastructure, and hundreds of thousands of homes across Houston and southeast Texas. In Florida, Hurricane Irma has left communities reeling with widespread blackouts, severe coastal flooding, and crippled telecommunications systems. When floodwaters…Read More
Look to Caribbean risk insurance model for US hurricane recovery
September 15, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center The first few days after a disaster, such as we have recently experienced with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, are about emergency response: making sure people are safe, reuniting families, securing housing, filling necessities and restoring lifelines.…Read More
What Recent Hurricanes Mean for Flood Insurance in California
September 6, 2017 Jeffrey Mount Three exceptional hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria— caused staggering damages from floods, winds, and storm surge in recent weeks. It’s likely they will make the record books as the most costly natural disasters in US history. Although California doesn’t get hurricanes, it does get large storms (called…Read More
The Challenges of Disaster Insurance
September 6, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center As Texas begins the long process of recovery from Hurricane Harvey, and Florida braces for a possible hit from Hurricane Irma, too few victims will have the financial support of insurance payouts. Insurance should be a…Read More
Flooding and the Economics of Risk Reduction
August 31, 2017 Carolyn Kousky Director of Policy Research and Engagement at Wharton Risk Center As the long process of recovery begins for a devastated Texas, it is time to start thinking about how rebuilding can increase the resilience of the flooded households and communities. Incorporating risk reduction measures into…Read More
Miami and the Costs of Climate Change
By Robert Meyer, Risk Center co-director As a city sitting virtually at sea level, Miami has been called “ground zero” for the problems posed by climate change, a place where rising sea levels threaten its very future existence. The latest (2013) IPCC forecast of sea level rise, for example, predicts…Read More
Penn Symposium on Fostering and Financing Long-Term Investments in Prevention and Protection
Objective: To foster cross-field learning on the problem of how best to encourage individuals and communities to invest in protection against harm from uncertain future events such as disease, natural hazards, and man-made catastrophes, and to formulate a set of new fundable research projects in this area.…Read More