MEDIA ADVISORY: I.I.I. Offers Insurance Information On East Coast Earthquake

August 23, 2011

NEW YORK, August 23, 2011 —Reporters covering the insurance implications of the earthquake that shook the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast today are encouraged to contact the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.).

The I.I.I. can provide an overview of the United States insurance market as well as information on earthquake history in the U.S. and globally.

The I.I.I.’s media contacts are:

Michael Barry

Vice president, Media Relations at 917-923-8245 or michaelb@iii.org

Dr. Robert Hartwig

President and economist at 917-453-1885 or bobh@iii.org

Jeanne Salvatore

Senior vice president, Public Affairs and consumer spokesperson at 917-612-4088 or jeannes@iii.org

For more information about earthquakes, go to:

Facts and Statistics: Earthquakes
Issues Update: Earthquakes: Risk and Insurance Issues
White Paper: California Earthquake Authority

THE TEN MOST COSTLY U.S. EARTHQUAKES (1)

($ millions)

				Insured losses (2)
Ranked by insured losses when occurred	Date	Location	Overall losses when occurred	When occurred	In 2010 dollars (3)	Fatalities	Rank based on insured losses in 2010 dollars
1	Jan. 17, 1994	California: Northridge, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Ventura, Orange	$44,000	$15,300	$22,550	60	1
2	Oct. 17, 1989	California: Loma Prieta, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Silicon Valley	10,000	960	1,690	70	3
3	Feb. 28, 2001	Washington: Olympia, Seattle, Tacoma; Oregon	2,000	300	370	1	4
4	Apr. 18, 1906	California: San Francisco, Santa Rosa, San Jose	524	180	3,965 (4)	3,000	2
5	Apr. 4, 2010	California: San Diego, Calexico, El Centro, Los Angeles, Imperial; Arizona: Phoenix, Yuma	150	100	100	NA	7
6	Oct. 1-4, 1987	California: Los Angeles, Whittier	360	75	145	8	6
7	Oct. 15, 2006	Hawaii: Big Island, Kailua Kona, Oahu, Honolulu	200	50	55	NA	9
8	Sept. 3, 2000	California: Napa	80	50	63	NA	8
9	Mar. 27-28, 1964	Alaska: Anchorage, Kodiak Island, Seward, Valdez, Portage, Whittier, Cordova, Homer, Seldovia; Hawaii	540	45	315	130	5
10	Dec. 22, 2003	California: Paso Robles, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo, Atascadero	200	40	47	2	10

(1) Costliest U.S. earthquakes occurring from 1900 to 2010, based on insured losses when occurred.
(2) Based on property losses including, if applicable, agricultural, offshore, marine, aviation and National Flood Insurance Program losses in the United States and may differ from data shown elsewhere.
(3) Adjusted to 2010 dollars by Munich Re.
(4) Adjusted to 2010 dollars based on 1913 Bureau of Labor Statistics data (earliest year available).

NA=Data not available.

Source: © 2011 Munich Re, Geo Risks Research, NatCatSERVICE.

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MEDIA ADVISORY: I.I.I. Offers Insurance Information On East Coast Earthquake

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