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When The Levee Breaks
There are over 100,000 miles of levees located throughout the United States, protecting tens of millions of people. However, the general public and insurance industry have a lack of understanding about levees and the risks they pose. Key questions that need answers include: who built the levee systems, where are they located, what do they protect, and what level of performance can be expected from them. Most levee systems in the U.S. are only considered to be in a "minimally acceptable" condition and may not provide the intended 100-year level of flood protection. The insurance industry specifically lacks understanding of the location of levee systems, what they protect, and what performance can be expected, which critically
When The Levee Breaks
- 1.
- 2. From Boston toNew 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.
- 3. built the levees? WHO arethe levee systems located? WHERE do they protect? WHAT level of performance can be expected? WHAT
- 4. These are allquestions 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.
- 5. Q1 How manymiles 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
- 6. 15% built by theArmy Corps of Engineers Only 100,000 affecting 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
- 7. 21 years 54 years 90years Nobody knows The average age of levees in the U.S. is: a b c d Q2
- 8. 54years 14,800miles Average ageof 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
- 9. Levees reduce therisk of flooding. Levees eliminate the risk of flooding. Which of the following statements is true? a b Q3
- 10. The correct answeris 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.
- 11. Acceptable Minimally acceptable Unacceptable The mostrecent 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
- 12. 8% 69% 22% Acceptable Minimally acceptable Unacceptable The correct answeris 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.
- 13. What critical issuesaffect 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
- 14. The correct answeris 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.
- 15. ME VT NH MA MN IA MO IL IN OH KY WIMI ND WA OR CA ID MT WY COUT AZ NM TX LA FL MS AL GA SC NC VA MD DE NJ 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 Paso Fort Worth PhoenixSan Diego Long Beach New Orleans Tampa Miami Oklahoma City Arlington Colorado Spring Fresco Pittsburgh Columbus Indianapolis St. Louis Kansas City Denver Albuquergue Las Vegas Oakland Los Angeles Anaheim Santa Ana Tulsa Houston Austin 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
- 16. © 2015 GeneralRe 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 e brian.platter@genre.com in /in/timpappas in in/brianwplatter e tpappas@genre.com t @timothy_pappas t @brian_platter did you do? HOW