Past, present and future hurricane issues, how to prepare for the 2006 hurricane season and what to expect will be discussed during the Feb. 8 to 11 Seventh Annual Windstorm Insurance Conference and Exhibit kicking off today at the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. The exhibit accompanying the event will feature the latest technology and techniques to predict hurricanes and to prepare for their onslaught.
Max Mayfield director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami will evaluate the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons and predict what he expects 2006 might bring. He will also point out changes in the natural environment that have resulted in the unprecedented number of recent hurricanes.
Bill Bailey, director of the Hurricane Insurance Information Center will discuss insurance and legal issues, including repercussions from unpaid claims and the pending lawsuit in Mississippi about wind versus water damages.
Some questions Bailey hopes to answer are: “What does the future look like if a Category One hurricane strikes, who is going to pay for it, and what does that do to the industry in terms of our freedom of action vs. greater regulation?
In preparation for the conference, Bailey revisited southeast states most effected by recent hurricanes, including Baton Rogue, New Orleans, up the coast to Slidell and across to Gulfport, Biloxi and Pensacola. He talked to homeowners and carriers in an effort to provide conferees with up-to-date information on how many claims have been settled and how many are still unsettled.
“A key topic I will address is the controversy over litigation about wind vs. flood damage, what could happen to the market place and the industry if Attorney General James Hood and attorney Richard Scruggs are successful,” Bailey told Insurance Journal. “I don’t believe they will be successful, I don’t believe they should be, but on the other hand in the past I have been surprised by court decisions many, many times.”
Bailey said he also plans to discuss the necessity for the industry to look at how its underwriting is done and procedures need to be changed. Should we have a National Natural Catastrophe Fund to which everybody contributes? If so, how do we run it? How do we allocate who is going to pay for it?
Key Presentations:
“Overview of the 2005 Hurricane Season,” Feb. 9, 8:15 a.m., Mayfield will share insights into what happened during the 2005 hurricane season and what to expect in 2006.
“Florida’s Hurricane Mediation Program,” Feb. 9, 9:15 a.m., Melvin A. Rubin, a key participant in developing Florida’s mediation programs, will discuss new developments in Florida’s mediation programs and challenges posed by 2004 and 2005 hurricanes.
“The Return of the Hurricane Panel, Part II,” Feb. 9, 10:45 a.m., moderated by Bailey, will feature a question-and-answer session in which industry leaders will discuss lessons learned from the 2005 hurricane season and what they expect to happen in the future.
“The Catastrophic Loss: The Integral Rules of Adjuster and Expert,” Feb. 10, 8 a.m., will feature well-known panelists discussing how to avoid claim expert bias, the selection of experts for catastrophe claims, what they should and should not do, directions they should be given and what to tell the other side.
“Ethics: Why ‘Good Enough’ Never Is,” Feb. 10, 9:15 a.m., Dr. Dale Henry, who speaks and trains more than 100,000 professionals and executives each year to achieve higher levels of individual and team excellence.
“Victors Without Victims: Managing Conflicts for a Positive and Ethical Outcome,” Feb. 11, 9 a.m., Dr. Audrey Nelson, an internationally-recognized consultant specializing in organization and interpersonal skills will discuss conflict management, how to confront conflict and how to make your adversary your ally.
“What Katrina, Football and the Human Spirit Have in Common,” Feb. 11, 10:30 a.m., Danny Wuerffel, former University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy Winner.
Throughout the conference educational sessions will address homeowners policy provisions, hurricane claims settlement and other issues of interest to the industry. Participants in many of the sessions will receive continuing education credits for attending.
Detailed information about the conference and a complete schedule is available at www.windnetwork.com.
Topics Florida Trends Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Hurricane Training Development
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