DETAILED AGENDA

In the last year, the country has seen the major devastation from two hurricanes. As witnessed after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, communities face major challenges after disasters strike. This panel discussion will delve into those challenges such as how to spend funds in accordance with federal rules and regulations. With first-hand experience dealing with these recent hurricanes, the speakers will also address how to deal with the immediate needs after a catastrophe while also focusing on a successful recovery. Another perspective on the panel will share successes and lessons learned from Joplin, a city still recovering six years after a deadly EF-5 tornado. A key takeaway from this session will highlight proper protocol, processes, and procedures that need to be in place before weathering a disaster.

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When thinking about extreme events 50 years ago, insurers often focused on natural catastrophes capable of causing devastating losses. Today, the list of perils with potential to incite an extreme event looks much different. Punishing weather events are still a concern, but so too are emerging and manmade threats such as cyberattacks, human pandemics and terrorism. This presentation will dive into a number of perils and what the insurance industry is doing to prepare, from scenario testing and public private partnerships to enhanced modelling techniques and product development.

Victims of a natural disaster are often times left with nothing. They must navigate the insurance system and the rebuilding process during a very vulnerable time in their lives. Sadly, fraudsters pounce on these opportunities to prey on storm victims. Natural disaster fraud can take many forms, but the harm can leave victims more than financially broken. In this session, the experts will focus on tactics to prevent fraud before and after the storm. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of financial harm and provide a better environment for a fast recovery.

Fueled by weather, wind and dry conditions, uncontrolled flames can consume everything in their paths in a matter of minutes and at any time of the year. Unlike other natural disasters, it’s estimated that 90 percent of wildland fires in the U.S. are caused by humans. Last year more than 52,000 wildfires burned nearly nine million acres. But the destruction doesn’t stop there. In Northern California, at least 23 deaths and nearly 9,000 structures were destroyed in wildfires, accounting for up to $3 billion in insured losses. During this session, fire expert Mark Goeller will discuss ways to assess your community for fire risks. He’ll also point out common and easy-to-implement mitigation practices along with what actions you can take if and when a blaze sparks.

Following a disaster, drones are useful for insurance and emergency management purposes. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) can eliminate the need for human inspection in dangerous areas at a far lower cost and at a much quicker speed. Throughout 2017, the Property Drone Consortium conducted a catastrophic situation simulation that focused on operations coordination between emergency responders and insurance professionals using UAS to respond. This presentation reviews the exercise, sharing insights and considerations into how the commercial sector can work alongside first responders to maximize efficiencies following a severe event.

Explore the biggest weather events in the U.S. in 2017 and early 2018. During this session, Jared Guyer will show photos, maps, satellite loops and radar data on weather events that greatly impacted human lives and property.

Hailstorms often exceed a billion dollars per year in insurance claims. This session will break down these destructive storms from an insurance perspective and a scientific approach.

improve the understanding of hail losses and ways to reduce losses in the future. Ian Giammanco will talk about the scientific advancements toward a more comprehensive view of hailstorms. The discussion will include insight into comparisons of radar-estimated hail swaths, field measurements, locations of claims for select events and the need for improvements and outcomes that will result from updated hail impact testing techniques for roofing products and other building materials. materials.

Building a stronger community involves building more durable homes. Speakers Tanya Brown-Giammanco and Chris Ramseyer believe in breaking the cycle of destruction-rebuilding-destruction that happens when homes are brittle. In this session, the presenters will talk about one of the most effective ways to build a sturdier home. IBHS� FORTIFIED Home�High Wind program helps keep homes properly tied together from the roof to the foundation by strengthening the continuous load path, which more than doubles the strength of a home during severe thunderstorms, low-level tornadoes, and straight-line windstorms. The session will also discuss why it is essential to strengthen homes beyond the required building codes.

This presentation will introduce cyber security and emphasize the importance of good cyber hygiene. Expert Owen Zorge will explore who we are protecting against, what we are protecting, and what we are doing to improve cybersecurity. Arizona has identified numerous risks to its systems, both in state government and with critical infrastructure. Partnerships, collaboration, and timely information-sharing have been key to evolving preparedness and response to cyber threats and attacks.

In this session, Lt. Amber Larson will introduce the Community Inventory Worksheet, a tool that can help communities improve its disaster management strategy while also enhancing community resilience. The Community Inventory Worksheet uses a simple format to conduct a comprehensive analysis relative to both natural and human-induced hazards. Lt. Larson will show how the tool can empower local planners and emergency managers in identifying and mapping community assets in order to bolster stakeholder involvement and generate accurate, active mitigation strategies. She’ll also show how the worksheet was applied to Cleveland County, Oklahoma’s 2014-2019 Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP), detecting significant data inclusion gaps for community assets and potential stakeholders that stems from generic risk assessment guidance provided by FEMA’s “Local Mitigation Planning Handbook” (2013) currently used to develop and update HMPs.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall near Rockport, Texas as a Category 4. It was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the mainland U.S. in nearly 12 years. Harvey produced record rainfall and flooding but also spawned more than 50 tornadoes. Speakers Jeff Evans and Roger Edwards will discuss basic characteristics of tropical cyclone tornadoes and Storm Prediction Center forecasting, focusing on Harvey as a recent case example.

Hurricane Matthew struck Lumberton, North Carolina on October 8, 2016, and left devastation in its path, mostly due to the record-breaking flooding. An insurance agent for more than 23 years and a volunteer first responder for nearly 20 years, Danny Cook will speak about how catastrophic flooding is so different than most other property and casualty claims. He’ll give tips on how to better prepare for the next catastrophic event.

This adrenaline-packed session will take you on a wild ride. Reed Timmer will share his experience chasing some of the most powerful storms on record. He has become one of the world�s leading experts on severe weather forecasting and research, providing coverage of extreme weather such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and flash floods. In nearly 20 years of storm chasing, Timmer has intercepted more than 1,000 tornadoes and dozens of hurricanes. He will share his experiences of going head-to-head with Mother Nature. During this session, you will journey into the eye of the storm for an up-close look at some of the biggest monsters the U.S. has seen in recent years.

Tornadoes, high winds, and hail are common causes of damage to roof surfaces throughout central sections of the United States. But sometimes damage like this can lead to disagreements between building owners/operators, roofing contractors, and insurance adjusters. This presentation will include discussions of damage from tornadoes (wind pressure and debris), high winds related to thunderstorms or weather fronts and hail to asphalt-composition shingle roof surfaces, built-up roof surfaces, metal-panel roof surfaces and common types of single-ply membranes. Design and/or installation issues that contribute to the failure of roof systems will be addressed, as well as how to determine when a roofing system should be removed and replaced due to damage and/or conditions present to the roof surfaces or supporting structural systems.

This session demonstrates the many uses of swift water rescue throw bags. Throw bags are a simple and cost-effective rescue device offering many uses during swift/flood water rescue incident. Presenters will demonstrate the multi-functional rescue capabilities of throw bags including proper techniques for executing safe and successful throws. Attendees will also learn how to utilize throw bags to provide victims with personal flotation devices, set-up downstream safety rescues and rescue trapped victims.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the University of Nebraska – Lincoln has implemented the Incident Command System (ICS) at the university’s football games. See how traditional methods of event management have evolved to enhance the capabilities of the nearly 4,000 employees responsible for the safety of fans in and around the stadium. This presentation will demonstrate how game-day doubles as training for a large-scale disaster.

A 2008 NIU study found that, while approximately 25 percent of tornadoes occur at night, about 40 percent of tornado fatalities happen during that time. This presentation will discuss climatological aspects of nocturnal tornadoes along with discussion about how meteorologists are working to better inform decision-makers when nocturnal tornadoes threaten.

This session will examine how Alabama legislated, developed and implemented wind mitigation discounts for residential and commercial buildings, and how Alabama funds and administers the Strengthen Alabama Homes Wind Mitigation Grant Program. This session will also draw examples from any comparisons to Oklahoma’s legislation adopting wind mitigation discounts based on the IBHS FORTIFIED Home™ High Wind and Hail Standards. The positives, distinctions, and challenges will be examined so attendees may learn from Alabama and Oklahoma’s efforts (and mistakes) when implementing similar programs elsewhere.

Every day 130,000 people, on average, visit the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Disney theme parks have closed six times since opening 45 years ago, twice in 2016 when Hurricane Matthew hit, then again in 2017 with Hurricane Irma. During this session, we�ll discuss the decision-making process Disney uses to keep staff and visitors safe and their strategies for more urgent weather needs.

After the winds have abated, the true scope of damages from the storm can be assessed. Damage reports are filled with questions regarding wind speeds, the age of the structure, building construction and any pre-existing conditions. During this session, we will take a closer look at how forensic evidence helps answer all these questions.

This session will provide information on the rapidly changing landscape in community storm shelters. Attendees will learn about significant changes to tornado shelter requirements in the 2018 International Building Code and 2018 International Existing Building Code and about the expanding state and local adoption of codes and standards for these shelters. This session will also provide an overview of the building safety considerations for shelter selection and operation available to emergency planners and managers in the newly-published NFPA 1616 Standard for Mass Evacuation, Sheltering, and Re-entry. Lastly, community sheltering successes and challenges identified in recent storms will be discussed, including issues of combined hurricane and tornado shelters and their use during Hurricane Harvey, which spun off dozens of tornadoes in addition to its strong winds and torrential rains.

After addressing the immediate health and safety needs of impacted residents following a disaster, the next significant challenge for community leaders is planning and paying for a sustainable recovery. A successful recovery requires thoughtful and detailed planning along with compliant and sustainable financial procedures. Yet, many communities struggle with achieving these two goals. This panel will discuss recovery successes and struggles and offer best practices to navigate the maze of funding options, including FEMA, HUD, and other sources.

Predicting the weather is hard. Communicating the forecast is even harder. This engaging presentation will discuss challenges in communicating weather forecasts with a focus on the inherent probabilities found within them.

In 2016, when massive floods hit parts of Louisiana and damaged thousands of homes and businesses, state and local officials formed an alliance with builders to expedite the recovery process. The alliance is now known as Build SOS. During this session, attendees will learn how their community can set up a network of local builders, subcontractors, laborers, suppliers, volunteers and other stakeholders who will be ready in the event of a disaster. Attendees will learn how to develop a system that allows local builders to work more efficiently and reduce the time and money it takes to get homeowners back into their homes.

Insurance companies leveraging telematics and Internet of Things data, like sensors in the home, businesses and even wearables, will continue to evolve and serve their customers more efficiently and effectively during the claims process. By having more data, insurers are able to quickly make better decisions. This session will address how innovations in technology can improve the claims process on all levels of engagement.

In 2017, three major hurricanes struck portions of the United States, with measured gust wind speeds up to 140 mph. These highest gust wind speeds are equivalent to EF2 or even EF3 tornado intensity. Many of the buildings in the regions impacted by these high winds were built to hurricane-resistant building codes that require higher standards for wind resistance than are typically required in most tornado-prone regions of the country. How these buildings performed under EF2 and EF3 level wind speeds provides important lessons that can inform tornado-resilient design strategies. This talk will summarize these lessons in light of the most recent advancements in tornado research and recommend strategies for mitigating tornado impacts to our communities.

This program will review the volunteer work performed by engineers following disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and terrorist attacks. After a disaster, public officials who regulate building safety perform rapid assessments of buildings to determine the extent of damage and let the public know whether the buildings are safe. Learn about the Structural Engineering Emergency Response (SEER) Program and how it operates. In addition, learn about immunity statutes and how they may or may not protect volunteers from liability risk. The program will discuss the coverage implications of current errors and omissions and workers� compensation policies for professional liability and bodily injury claims.

On average, tornadoes kill and injure more than a thousand people a year. Research shows that more powerful tornadoes mixed with densely populated areas result in an increase in casualties. However, this finding is only part of the story as the rate of casualties varies depending on who is in the path. This presentation will discuss how different socioeconomic and socio-demographic factors related to tornado casualties. The study will focus on the percentage of people in the mid-South and their vulnerability based on age, race, and level of poverty.

PThis presentation discusses the development of new standardized procedures for estimation of tornado wind speeds. The intent of this endeavor is to standardize the methods used to estimate wind speeds in tornadoes, including improvements and additions to the damage-based Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale). It will also discuss additional methods including radar measurements, in-situ measurements (anemometry), forensic engineering analysis, tree fall pattern analysis and remote-sensing applications. The standard will also address data and metadata collection and archival requirements. The standard is intended for adoption by the National Weather Service, storm study teams, researchers, forensic meteorologists and engineers as a guide for conducting storm surveys and for analyzing storm data.

The insurance industry has lost billions of dollars due to hail. U.S. insurers paid close to 2.6 million claims from 2014 to 2016. The highly localized nature of hailstorms makes them one of the most challenging risks to manage. Even in states more prone to hail, losses can fluctuate dramatically from one year to the next, and now more and more hail events are occurring outside those areas. As a result, the level of detailed data needed by insurers continues to grow. This session will discuss how accurate and granular information on hail events, damage and trends can help insurers prepare for and mitigate hailstorm risks.

This presentation describes the primary types of fraud that arise during a disaster such as a tornado. In any disaster, we see the best of people come forward. Unfortunately, we also see the worst. This presentation goes through understanding, identifying, and abating disaster fraud. It also covers actions that have been taken against insurers by the government for claims issues during disasters. This presentation uses case law and current statutory law to show how disaster fraud is being combatted on a regular basis. Our goal is to help leaders in the insurance community understand the types of fraud that arise in a disaster and what tools are available to help identify it and prosecute it.

Oklahoma Large Animal First Responders (OLAFR) was formed in the aftermath of the May 2013 storms that devastated the Oklahoma City area. It was created by veterinarians and volunteers who assisted in immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery efforts. The response team provides urgent care, triage, and evacuations of large animals in times of natural and man-made disasters such as tornadoes, wildfires and other events. Learn how OLAFR assists in organizing long-term recovery through donations and volunteers. Knowledge learned in this session can help communities and large animal owners be more prepared for disasters.

Wildfires can happen anywhere, anytime. When they do, they can quickly get out of hand. It�s up to emergency managers, first responders and community leaders to keep people, homes, and businesses safe. Evacuation orders are critical to saving lives. During this session, attendees will learn the best ways to handle fire evacuations.

Through the introduction of several new variables, dual-polarization radar significantly improves our ability to ascertain the characteristics of falling hail. By adding greater detail, dual-pol data provide insight into not just the size of hail, but the distribution as well, improving warnings, decision support, post-event analysis, and other facets of the weather enterprise. For example, such details allow forecasters to identify hail in parts of a thunderstorm where reflectivity alone may not suggest severe hail. This presentation will provide a brief, operationally-geared overview of dual-pol theory and variables, before transitioning into hail identification applications and examples.

In 2016, when massive floods hit parts of Louisiana and damaged thousands of homes and businesses, state and local officials formed an alliance with builders to expedite the recovery process. The alliance is now known as Build SOS. During this session, attendees will learn how their community can set up a network of local builders, subcontractors, laborers, suppliers, volunteers and other stakeholders who will be ready in the event of a disaster. Attendees will learn how to develop a system that allows local builders to work more efficiently and reduce the time and money it takes to get homeowners back into their homes.

Hoarding affects over 10 million people across the country, and first responders aren�t always aware of the risks of entering a hoarded house. Join Matt Paxton, national extreme cleaning expert featured on A&E;�s Hoarders, as he uses his unique mix of humor and experience to walk you through an interactive hoarding journey. He�ll explain how to safely enter the house and navigate the piles. He�ll help you identify different types of hoards and the unique set of risks associated with each.