Hurricane Katrina, the storm that ruined the Big Easy, was a bit like my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Miller. She was harsh, strict, and demanding, but we learned. Boy, did we ever learn. She taught us lessons that we will never forget and, although I no longer remember many of the negatives, I sure remember the positives.
If we (the United States, not the claim industry; although there may be lessons there, too) fail to learn from the late August 2005 storm that devastated the Gulf Coast and, undoubtedly at publication time, still has adjusters scrambling to settle wind, flood, and business interruption claims, we deserve an F. Our current report card from Schoolmistress Katrina is bad.
What are some of the subjects that she taught? First, there was Preparedness. We sure flunked that one. Second, there was Infrastructure. That got a D-. Evacuation: D+. Response: F-. National Reaction: B-. And one more course we are flunking at mid-term of the semester: Causation. Let's start there.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
