Simple proxies for risk analysis and natural hazard estimation

This research is aimed at better characterizing the exposure associated with three particular natural hazards – earthquake, flood and wind. The work represents an unprecedented collaboration between three leaders in the field of natural hazards at Western University and the insurance industry through the efforts of individual interns and the associated projects aimed at evaluating risk and the resulting exposure from a practical and relatively simplified perspective. The Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation (ICLR), in cooperation with member insurers, will provide industrial support and training to three interns in the applied field of insurance risk assessment. The goal of the associated research program is to develop simple proxies for exposure based upon the most important factors associated with each hazard – earthquake, flood and wind. These proxies will be evaluated for various population densities, infrastructure properties and governmental policies. The HQP involved in the project will spend time with ICLR, where they will interact with Canadian insurance providers, and Montpelier Re in order to better understand the appropriate application of the risk and exposure assessments that they are providing for the assessment of hazard and risk in urban and suburban areas.

Faculty Supervisor:

Drs. Kristy F. Tiampo, Slobodan Simonovic & Gregory Kopp

Student:

Yelena Kropivnitskaya

Partner:

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Western University