when the levee breaks
TRANSCRIPT
WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS
From Boston to New Orleans to Sacramento and everywhere in between, there are thousands of levees in the United States.
And yet there is a lack of understanding among both the general public and the insurance industry about this exposure.
built the levees?WHO
are the levee systems located?
WHERE
do they protect?WHAT
level of performance can be expected?
WHAT
These are all questions that need to be addressed at both the e-suite and desk level. And some of the answers might surprise you.
Test your levee knowledge with this quick quiz.
Q1 How many miles of levees are estimated to be within the United States?
10,000 miles
50,000 miles
100,000 miles
500,000 miles
a
b
c
d
15%built by the Army Corps of Engineers
Only
100,000affecting tens of
millions of people
M I L E S O F L E V E E S
The correct answer is
A1
100,000 miles
c
Source: National Committee on Levee Safety
21 years
54 years
90 years
Nobody knows
The average age of levees in the U.S. is:
a
b
c
d
Q2
54 years 14,800 miles
Average age of levees in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Levee Database But this accounts for only
The correct answer is
A2
Nobody knows
d
Regular maintenance and periodic upgrades are a serious challenge but needed to ensure that levees retain their level of protection.
100,000M I L E S O F L E V E E S
Source: FEMA
Levees reduce the risk of flooding.
Levees eliminate the risk of flooding.
Which of the following statements is true?
a
b
Q3
The correct answer is
A3
Levees reduce the
risk of flooding.
a
They do not eliminate the risk. In fact, the presence of levees often encourages residential and commercial development in the floodplain. When levees do fail, they fail catastrophically — and the resulting damage may be more significant than if the levees weren’t present.
Acceptable
Minimally acceptable
Unacceptable
The most recent evaluation of levees in the U.S. indicates that most of the levees built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in what condition?
a
b
c
Q4
8%
69%
22%Acceptable
Minimally acceptable
Unacceptable
The correct answer is
A4
Minimally acceptable
b
Inventory of flood control systems overseen by the federal government have found hundreds of structures at risk of failing — endangering people and property in 37 states. Many, if not most of the U.S. levee systems, may not actually provide a 100-year level of flood protection.
What critical issues affect the ability of the insurance industry to correctly assess its exposure to levee-protected risks?
Not knowing the location of all the levee systems
Not knowing what they protect
Not knowing what level of performance can be expected
All of the above
a
b
c
d
Q5
The correct answer is
A5
All of the above
Location Protection Performance
d
The insurance industry is unaware of many issues critical to the accurate assessment of its exposure to levee-protected risks.
ME
VT
NH
MA
MN
IA
MO
IL IN OH
KY
WI MI
ND
WA
OR
CA
ID
MT
WY
COUT
AZ
NM
TX LAFL
MS AL GA
SC
NC
VA
MD DENJ
RICT
WV
TN
AR
NV NE
SD
KS
OK
NY
PA
Boston
Washington D.C.Cincinnati
Nashville
Memphis
Dallas
Mesa
San Jose
Tuscon
Saettle
Portland
El PasoFort Worth
PhoenixSan Diego
Long Beach
New Orleans
Tampa
Miami
Oklahoma City
Arlington
Colorado SpringFresco
PittsburghColumbus
Indianapolis
St. LouisKansas City
Denver
Albuquergue
Las Vegas
Oakland
Los Angeles AnaheimSanta Ana
Tulsa
HoustonAustin
Wichita
Omaha Toledo
Detroit
Minneapolis
U.S. county with levees
City with more than 300,000 people and containing a levee
counties in the U.S. with levees
of the U.S. population lives in counties with levees
881
50%
you have a levee in your county?
DO
Sources: Levees.org, FEMA
© 2015 General Re Corporation | This presentation is intended to provide background information for our clients and professional staff. It is time sensitive and may need to be revised and updated periodically.
Tim Pappas
Brian W. PlatterThere is a lot to know about levees and Gen Re
can help increase your level of understanding
regarding this exposure.
To learn more, contact
+1 212 341 8021p
+1 415 393 8425p
in /in/timpappas
in in/brianwplatter
e [email protected] t @timothy_pappas
t @brian_platter
did you do?
HOW