Natural
disasters have killed more than 650,000 people worldwide over the last
ten years and caused more than C$1 trillion in damage. Disaster losses
have doubled every five to ten years since the 1950s, and last year
they exceeded C$50 billion world wide. The frequency and severity of
damaging storms is increasing. If this trend continues, insurers around
the world will face a trillion dollars in damage claims over the next
15 years. Although seismic risks are stable, more and more people are
inhabiting vulnerable areas. However, many disaster losses are entirely
preventable. In order to help address impending increases in natural
disaster losses, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR)
has developed a long-term communications strategy to enhance its
messaging. This plan is centred around three themes:
Community management of environmental hazards
Safer design and construction of buildings
Risk management and critical infrastructure
Working
through the ICLR, Canada’s insurers are the only group in Canada
providing comprehensive disaster loss prevention advice to homeowners.
Actions have been identified to help homeowners reduce the risk of
injury and damage due to severe wind, hail, earthquakes, flood, wild
fire and a number of other hazards. The ICLR is internationally
recognized for its leadership in multi-disciplinary disaster prevention
research.
Through
the ICLR, insurers have provided support to dozens of academic
researchers who are working to identify best practices. Quality
research provides the foundation for better public policy and disaster
management. The ICLR’s research findings are used to help consumers
better understand the hazards they face, and to identify simple steps
they can take to better protect their families and homes.
The
ICLR is committed to reducing disaster deaths, injuries and property
damage by not only developing disaster-prevention knowledge, but also
by disseminating its research findings to a broader audience. This
research deals with damage from wind, snow, ice, earthquakes, mould and
a range of other hazards.
The ICLR seeks to address these issues by achieving its objectives in four key areas:
Quality research
Effective partnerships
Industry education
Consumer awareness
While
nature’s extreme events can be relentless and unforgiving, they need
not result in disasters. The risk of hazards requires that individuals
take precautionary measures, and that communities and businesses invest
in resilience and continuity measures. Knowledgeable individuals and
resilient communities are the best way to prevent hazards from becoming
disasters.
To learn more about the manade of the ICLR, please refer to the Strategic Plan (2006-2011) (PDF) or the ICLR's Bylaws. To learn more about disaster prevention and reduction, sign up for a 'Friday Forum' at the ICLR
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Toronto Office 20 Richmond Street East, Suite 210, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2R9 Tel: (416) 364-8677 Fax: (416) 364-5889
London Office Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory Western University 1151 Richmond Street, London, Canada N6A 5B9 Tel: (519) 661-3234 Fax: (519) 661-4273