Category Archives: Risk Management

Catastrophes, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Resilience, Floods, Hurricane, Risk Management, Roof Condition, Severe Convective Storm, Tornado, Wildfire, Wind

Resilience Investment Payoffs Outpace Future Costs More Than 30 Times

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By Lewis Nibbelin, Contributing Writer, Triple-I

Every dollar invested in disaster resilience today can save communities up to $33 in avoided economic costs, according to new research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allstate, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Building on their 2024 finding that such investments save $13 in benefits, the report detailed the burgeoning toll of increasingly frequent and severe natural catastrophes across the United States, underscoring a need for stronger collective action to mitigate climate risk.

Invest Now, Save Later

After experiencing the fifth consecutive year of 18 or more billion-dollar disasters in 2024, the United States further drove the second costliest half-year ever for global insured losses from natural catastrophes in 2025 with January’s devastating wildfires in Southern California. Though reflecting a troubling “new normal,” the report demonstrates how resilience funding can help stabilize local economies and protect lives and jobs, regardless of the scale or type of disaster.

Modeling scenarios for five disaster types – hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, and floods – the study revealed that high resilience investments may cut GDP losses by billions, with reduced funding leading to significantly higher long-term costs across all scenarios.

For hurricane-prone areas, which can grapple with lasting disruptions to housing, education, and other basic infrastructure, the study noted that higher investment could prevent the loss of $13.2 billion and more than 70,000 jobs.

Emphasizing the “smart, cost-saving” efficacy of disaster mitigation, the report concluded that “preparedness is not just a safety measure – it’s a local economic development strategy.”

“Preparedness is as much about plans as it is people,” added Rich Loconte, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for government and industry relations at Allstate. “It’s supporting a local nonprofit to retain its employees and keeps its doors open after a disaster, working with civic leaders to develop recovery plans that minimize rebuilding costs, and educating community members on proactive investments that help better weather storms.”

Risk Reduction in Practice

Beyond identifying the broad impact of disaster preparedness, the report also provides actionable insights for local leaders who aim to boost community resilience but are unsure where or how to start. Recommendations for disaster preparation include:

  • Risk-Informed Design: Adopt and enforce hazard-resistant building codes, such as those that meet the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s FORTIFIED standards. Update zoning and land use planning according to the latest risk data.
  • Data-Based Decisions: Improve access to risk data to inform, track, and assess the success of disaster mitigation efforts.
  • Dedicated Resilience Funding:Create a local fund for disaster mitigation to ensure consistent investment and expedite post-disaster recovery.
  • Public Engagement: Launch risk awareness campaigns to facilitate individual and organized participation in preparedness and raise insurance take-up rates.
  • Stakeholder Partnerships: Coordinate cross-sector and multi-jurisdictional resilience strategies to maximize benefits.

A survey released in tandem with the report shows that most resilience stakeholders – encompassing emergency managers, community planners, government officials, and other risk experts –  believe public-private collaboration needs improvement, with more than half of respondents highlighting insufficient resource allocation and unclear decision-making processes as leading causes for poor coordination.

While most indicated state and local governments must play a major role in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, 58 percent of respondents additionally underscored the federal government as crucial at every phase, particularly for financial assistance. As numerous community resilience projects hang in limbo following the Trump Administration’s cancellation of $882 million in federal grants, it is imperative for all beneficiaries of disaster resilience to help develop sensible solutions for predicting and preventing losses.

“As the cost and economic toll of disasters continue to increase, leaders at all levels of government should know that investments in infrastructure resilience will go a long way in protecting and preparing local communities,” said Marty Durbin, senior vice president of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Resilience investments reduce costs and speed up recovery. The faster a community bounces back, the faster jobs and economic growth return.”

Learn More:

Study Supports Defensible Space, Home Hardening as Wildfire Resilience Tools

Can a Fire-Prevention Device Be a “Gateway Drug” to Home Resilience?

JIF 2025: Federal Cuts Imperil Resilience Efforts

Why Roof Resilience Matters More Than Ever

Study Touts Payoffs From Alabama Wind Resilience Program

Louisiana Senator Seeks Resumption of Resilience Investment Program

Weather Balloons’ Role in Readiness, Resilience

BRIC Funding Loss Underscores Need for Collective Action on Climate Resilience

Business Insurance, Business Risk, Risk Management, Workers Compensation

NCCI Sees Underwriting Profitability Continuing for Workers Comp Line

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By Lewis Nibbelin, Contributing Writer, Triple-I

Updated industry data for the 2024 workers compensation market confirmed the line’s 11th straight year of underwriting gains, according to the recent National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) report 2025 in Sight, 2024 in Review. The report – a reevaluation of preliminary analysis presented at the NCCI Annual Insights Symposium (AIS) in May – also projected continued gains in 2025.

These results were highlighted at a members-only briefing from the Triple-I and Milliman.

Prior-year figures

While net written premium fell from 2023 by 3.2 percent, workers comp private carriers enjoyed a 2024 combined ratio of 86.1 percent – a 13.9 percent underwriting gain. Such gains, combined with the 2024 investment gain of 9.8 percent, resulted in an overall operating gain of 23.7 percent, marking the eighth consecutive operating gain exceeding 20 percent and the most profitable period over at least the last three decades, the report noted.

Contrary to lower AIS estimates, lost-time claim frequency declined by 6 percent and indemnity claim severity rose by 5 percent last year. The 2024 medical claims severity estimate remains unchanged, at a 6 percent increase from 2023.

Ongoing stability

Midyear results indicate 2025 will post another profitable year, with a net premium volume similar to that of 2024. Using National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Quarterly Statement data, NCCI reported the following findings:

  • Direct written premium decreased 1.9 percent through the first half of 2025, compared with the first half of 2024.
  • While 2025 bureau loss costs are expected to decrease by 6.1 percent, payroll through the first half of 2025 increased by roughly 5 percent over the prior year.
  • The private carrier direct loss ratio for the first half of 2025 is 50 percent – two points higher than the direct loss ratio during the same period of 2024.
  • As loss ratios at year end tend to fall slightly lower than second quarter loss ratios, the year-end 2025 net combined ratio will likely range from 85 to 93 percent.

“If this holds, it will represent 12 consecutive years of combined ratios under 100 for private carriers,” said Donna Glenn, chief actuary at NCCI.

As emerging data is collected and evaluated throughout the ratemaking season, NCCI’s initial analysis will continue to evolve. Potential economic headwinds, including recession concerns and tariff and immigration policy uncertainties, add to the unknowns. Tariffs, for instance – especially on medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, which are already subject to rising medical inflation – could further propel the costs behind workplace injury claims, making proactive risk management more imperative.

Greater insight into these trends and the overall 2025 workers comp performance will be available at the NCCI’s next AIS in May 2026.

Learn More

NCCI AIS 2025: Key Insights on Workers Comp

Workers Comp Premium, Loss, Market Trends Support Its Ongoing Success

NCCI Event Shines a Light on Workers Comp

Insurers and the Economy, Regulation, Risk Management, Risk-Based Pricing

Triple-I Brief Explains Benefits of Risk-Based Pricing of Insurance

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By Jeff Dunsavage, Senior Research Analyst, Triple-I

“Risk-based pricing” is a basic insurance concept that might seem intuitively obvious when described – yet misunderstandings about it regularly sow confusion and spark calls for government intervention that would likely do consumers more harm than good.

Simply put, it means offering different prices for the same level of coverage, based on risk factors specific to the insured person or property. If policies were not priced this way, lower-risk drivers would necessarily subsidize riskier ones.

Confusion ensues when actuarially sound rating factors intersect with other attributes in ways that can be perceived as unfairly discriminatory. A new Triple-I Issues Brief sorts out the reasons for such confusion and explains why legislative involvement in insurance pricing is not the answer to rising premiums. In fact, the report says, such involvement would tend to drive premiums up, not down.

Worries about equity

Concerns have been raised about the use of credit-based insurance scores, geography, home ownership, and motor vehicle records in setting home and car insurance premium rates. This confusion is understandable, given the complex models used to assess and price risk. To navigate this complexity, insurers hire teams of actuaries and data scientists to quantify and differentiate among a range of risk variables while avoiding unfair discrimination.

Triple-I’s brief shows how one frequently criticized rating factor for auto insurance – insurance-based credit scores – effectively tracks collision claim frequency.  Drivers with the worst 10 percent of scores have twice as many collision claims as the best 10 percent. The sophisticated tools actuaries and underwriters use ensure fair, accurate pricing, and insurers do everything they can to see that all valid claims are paid on time and in full.

Climate and inflation

Areas that were once less vulnerable to certain natural perils – such as wildfire and hurricane-related flooding – increasingly are being affected by these costly events. Furthermore, more people have been moving into at-risk areas on the coasts and in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), putting more property into harm’s way.

Insurance pricing must reflect these increased risks to maintain policyholder surplus – the funds regulators require insurers to keep on hand to pay claims. In some states, this increased risk – combined with regulatory decisions that make it hard to raise premium rates to the levels needed to adequately meet it – has forced some insurers to reduce their exposure and not write as many policies and even withdrawing from states completely. In these states, not only has homeowners’ coverage become less affordable – in some cases, it has also become less available.

Another factor driving up premiums is inflation. As material and labor costs rise, the cost to repair and replace damaged homes and vehicles increases. If premium rates don’t reflect these increased costs, insurers would quickly exhaust their policyholder surplus. If their losses and expenses exceed their revenues by too much for too long, they risk insolvency.

A role for governments

Policymakers naturally want to address the impact of rising costs – including insurance premiums – on their constituents. A good start would be to help reduce risk by modernizing building codes and incorporating resilience into their infrastructure investments. Reduced risk and less costly damages would, over time, translate into lower premium rates.

Governments also can work with insurers and other stakeholders to incentivize homeowners to invest in mitigation and resilience. The Strengthen Alabama Homes program is a great example of one such collaboration between state government and the insurance industry that has measurably improved results and is beginning to be imitated by other states.

Learn More:

Calls for Insurance-Price Legislation Would Hurt Policyholders, Not Help

Easing Home Upkeep to Control Insurance Costs

Study Touts Payoffs From Alabama Wind Resilience Program

Insurance Affordability, Availability Demand Collaboration, Innovation

Outdated Building Codes Exacerbate Climate Risk

L.A. Homeowners’ Suits Misread California’s Insurance Troubles

Data Granularity Key to Finding Less Risky Parcels in Wildfire Areas

Calif. Risk/Regulatory Environment Highlights Role of Risk-Based Pricing

Actuarial Studies Advance Discussion on Bias, Modeling, and A.I.

Accurately Writing Flood Coverage Hinges on Diverse Data Sources

Fire, Homeowners Insurance, Lightning, Risk Management, Technology

Can a Fire-Prevention Device Be a “Gateway Drug” to Home Resilience?

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By Lewis Nibbelin, Contributing Writer, Triple-I

Tying a fire-prevention IoT device to the distribution networks of major insurers may have cracked the code for modifying human behavior toward risk prediction and prevention, says the CEO of Whisker Labs, the producer of Ting.

Ting helps protect homes from electrical fires by using AI to detect arcing – the precursor to most electrical fires. Once connected to an outlet, Ting analyzes 30 million measurements per second to detect tiny electrical anomalies and power-quality problems. On average, Ting detects and mitigates fire hazards in 1 out of every 60 homes it protects.

Whisker Labs works with a growing community of insurers who provide Ting to their customers for free.  More than one million Tings are deployed in the United States, and approximately 50,000 are installed each month. In his second appearance on Triple-I’s Executive Exchange video series in two years, Whisker Labs founder and CEO Bob Marshall reported to Triple-I CEO Sean Kevelighan on the product’s results to date.

“One of the cool things we’ve learned over the last couple of years is that insurers have found that Ting is like the gateway drug,” Marshall said. “I mean, if you actually get Ting into your customer’s home and we deliver a great experience to them, they’re much more willing to engage in water-loss prevention after that. So, it’s really critical that the homeowners engage.”

Ease of use has been critical to Ting’s success, Marshall said, pointing out that earlier attempts at similar products were “too complicated for the customer, too complicated for the carrier, and that’s why they didn’t work. With Ting, you just plug it in and it does its thing.”

Recent research demonstrated the efficacy and value provided by Ting. In partnership with Triple-I and Octagram Analytics, Whisker Labs found that Ting resulted in 0.39 fewer electrical fire claims per 1,000 home years of experience, translating to a fire claims reduction benefit of $81 per customer per year by the third year after installation. As Whisker Labs works with its growing community of insurers to extend Ting’s reach, Marshall believes these figures could improve even further.

“What we see in that study is that the claims frequency drops dramatically in the days, weeks, and months after you plug in Ting,” Marshall said, noting that the source for this finding “is not our data – it’s data from all the carriers that we work with.”

Kevelighan agreed that “from a carrier perspective, getting more of these into the community will make the community more resilient and more insurable,” particularly within dense neighborhoods and cities where fires can spread quickly. Such settings highlight the collective responsibility of risk mitigation on consumers as well as insurers, who play a key role in disseminating prevention solutions, Kevelighan stressed.

Though more public education surrounding IoT is needed, Marshall noted that homeowners familiar with Ting’s success are often receptive to additional IoT solutions for other risks, potentially sending ripple effects of risk mitigation throughout the industry. His firm and their research collaborators aim for similar versatility with the Ting study, whose methodology has broad applicability for many types of prevention solutions.

“‘Predict and prevent’ – that’s a vision that, I think, rings true for everybody,” Marshall concluded, because “the best claim is the one that never happens. We just want to be a key part of it and help drive it.”

Learn More:

E-Mobility Battery Fire Data Exposes Potential “Blind Spot” for Insurers

IoT Solutions Offer Homeowners, Insurers Value — But How Much?

Human Needs Drive Insurance and Should Drive Tech Solutions

Predict & Prevent: From Data to Practical Insight

Beyond Fire: Triple-I Interview Unravels Lightning-Risk Complexity

Homeowners Insurance, Risk Management, Roof Condition, Technology

Easing Home Upkeep to Control Insurance Costs

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By Lewis Nibbelin, Contributing Writer, Triple-I

With home repair and remodeling costs rising 61 percent over the past decade, many homeowners are delaying or forgoing routine maintenance for older homes. In a recent Executive Exchange discussion with Triple-I CEO Sean Kevelighan, PreFix founder and CEO James Bilodeau discussed how his Texas-based company can help insurers promote such maintenance to mitigate more expensive losses down the line.

PreFix pairs clients with individual repair technicians to deliver personalized, year-round home repair, including two annual maintenance visits for filter replacements and comprehensive home inspections, Bilodeau said.

For maintenance visits, Bilodeau explained, PreFix will “clean your AC condenser and condensate line; change your air and water filters; flush the sediment out of your water heater; clean the lint out of your dryer outtake; sanitize your washer and dishwasher with a natural cleansing agent; and change all the batteries in your smoke alarms,” among other tasks.

The firm also modifies its services based on insurer preferences and the specific risk profile of homes in a given area.

“We’re able to offer highly granular customized data collection on all of the homes that we service through direct observation of issues that can correlate to non-cat losses,” Bilodeau said, noting identification of corroded water valves, overhanging tree branches, and unsecured exterior doors can facilitate “resolution quickly, before extensive damage happens.”

By continuously monitoring and mitigating these risks, Bilodeau believes his firm can help lower underwriting costs and premiums, as well as support smart home telematics adoption and catastrophe risk modeling.

“While aggregation is useful – which is what many providers do – many of the component inputs like home inspection data degrade quickly over two to five years,” Bilodeau said. “Inaccuracy can then be exacerbated when the data is extrapolated to other homes using inference.”

Kevelighan added that initial inspections as part of the home buying process often overlook or fail to communicate the true risks a property faces, leaving homeowners unaware of risks until catastrophe strikes.

“If you can enter risk management into the process of home purchasing much sooner and help the customer understand what they are purchasing beyond the four walls of their house and the community that it’s in, that could very much create a win-win for the insurer and the customer,” Kevelighan said.

Kevelighan and Bilodeau agreed that removing friction from home maintenance is imperative not only to better accommodate consumers, but to facilitate the insurance industry’s shift beyond repairing and replacing damaged property to predicting and preventing damage to begin with. Solutions like PreFix highlight how proactive loss mitigation necessarily involves engages all affected parties that have a stake in mitigation and resilience.

Learn More:

Survey: Homeowners See Value of Aerial Imagery for Insurers; Education Key to Comfort Levels

IoT Solutions Offer Homeowners, Insurers Value — But How Much?

JIF 2025: U.S. Policy Changes and Uncertainty Imperil Insurance Affordability

Lightning-Related Homeowners Claims Fell 16.5% in 2024

Insurance Affordability, Availability Demand Collaboration, Innovation

Disasters, Litigation Reshape Homeowners’ Insurance Affordability

E-Mobility Battery Fire Data Exposes Potential “Blind Spot” for Insurers

LGBTQIA+ Homeownership Gap May Be Fueling Insurance Protection Gap

When No One’s Home: Understanding Role of Vacancy Insurance

Why Roof Resilience Matters More Than Ever

Study Touts Payoffs From Alabama Wind Resilience Program

2025 Tornadoes Highlight Convective Storm Losses

L.A. Homeowners’ Suits Misread California’s Insurance Troubles

Data Granularity Key to Finding Less Risky Parcels in Wildfire Areas

Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Resilience, Homeowners Insurance, Risk Management, Roof Condition, Technology, Wind

Survey: Homeowners See Value of Aerial Imagery for Insurers; Education Key to Comfort Levels

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Among homeowners surveyed by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), 88 percent recognize that aerial imagery is a beneficial tool for insurers.

Nearly all respondents said they recognize the value of using satellite, drone, and aircraft images for early problem detection, claims processing, and hazard identification before costly damage occurs. Most also said they believe aerial imaging can lead to fairer pricing.

Key findings:

  • Nine out of 10 respondents said they see at least one benefit from aerial imagery’s use in insurance. More than half said it leads to fairer insurance pricing.
  • While 60 percent have some awareness that insurers use aerial imagery, 40 percent know little or nothing about it.
  • When homeowners are familiar with the use of aerial imagery for underwriting, they are nearly twice as likely to think it makes insurance pricing fairer.
  • Homeowners worry more about accuracy than privacy in the context of aerial imagery. Accuracy emerges as the top individual concern, with 31 percent citing it as their biggest worry, compared to 24 percent who cite privacy as their primary concern.

Education and transparency are key to acceptance of this technology, the survey found.  Homeowners who were already familiar with aerial imagery applications were found to show consistently higher confidence levels, greater benefit recognition, and more positive sentiment across all insurance uses. Younger homeowners also demonstrated greater acceptance and higher confidence in the technology’s accuracy.

“Consumers see value in aerial imagery when they understand how it’s used in insurance,” said IRC President Pat Schmid. “Efforts to increase transparency and consumer knowledge can bridge the confidence gap, improve customer trust, and help homeowners realize the benefits of faster claims, fairer pricing, and better risk prevention.”

The IRC, like Triple-I, is an affiliate of The Institutes.

Catastrophes, Coastal Property, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Resilience, Earthquakes, Floods, Homeowners Insurance, Hurricane, Lightning, Regulation, Risk Management, Severe Convective Storm, Tornado, Wildfire, Wind

Some Weather Service Jobs Being Restored;
BRIC Still Being Litigated

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Amid a summer full of deadly fires and storm-related flooding, the Trump Administration appears to be rolling back some of the spending cuts imposed upon the National Weather Service (NWS) by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – of which NWS is a part – announced at an internal all-hands meeting earlier this month that they will hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians. CNN reported the announcement, citing an unnamed NOAA official. In jointly timed press releases, Congressmen Mike Flood and Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) and Mike Flood (R-Neb.) acknowledged the planned hirings.

While the decision is welcome news, both congressmen continued to urge their colleagues to pass their bipartisan Weather Workforce Improvement Act to ensure these positions will remain permanent and not be subject to any future reductions. 

“For months, Congressman Flood and I have been fighting to get NOAA and NWS employees the support they need in the face of cuts to staff and funding,” Sorenson said. “Hundreds of unfilled positions have caused NWS offices across the country to cancel weather balloon launches, forgo overnight staffing, and force remaining meteorologists to overwork themselves.”

“For decades the National Weather Service has helped keep our communities safe with accurate and timely forecasts,” said Flood, adding that the NOAA announcement “sends a message that they’re focused on strengthening the NWS for years to come.”  

NOAA and FEMA cuts raised fears

It’s not just the NOAA and NWS cuts that have raised concerns. On April 4, 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it would be ending its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and cancel all BRIC applications from fiscal years 2020-2023. Congress established BRIC through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to ensure a stable funding source to support mitigation projects annually. The program has allocated more than $5 billion for investment in mitigation projects to alleviate human suffering and avoid economic losses from floods, wildfires, and other disasters.

At the time, Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), called the decision to terminate BRIC “beyond reckless.”

 “Although ASFPM has had some qualms about how FEMA’s BRIC program was implemented, it was still a cornerstone of our nation’s hazard mitigation strategy, and the agency has worked to make improvements each year,” Berginnis said. “Eliminating it entirely — mid-award cycle, no less — defies common sense.”

Resilience investment is key to long-term insurance availability and affordability.  Average insured catastrophe losses have been on the rise for decades, reflecting a combination of climate-related factors and demographic trends as more people have moved into harm’s way.

Efforts have been made to save BRIC, and a U.S. District Judge in Boston recently granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 Democrat-led states while their lawsuit over the funding moves ahead. Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled the Trump Administration cannot reallocate $4 billion meant to help communities protect against natural disasters.

In his ruling, Stearns said he was not convinced Congress had given FEMA any discretion to redirect the funds. The states had also shown that the “balance of hardship and public interest” was in their favor.

“There is an inherent public interest in ensuring that the government follows the law, and the potential hardship accruing to the States from the funds being repurposed is great,” Stearns wrote. “The BRIC program is designed to protect against natural disasters and save lives.”

Learn More

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Russia Quake Highlights Unpredictability of Natural Catastrophes

JIF 2025: Federal Cuts Imperil Resilience Efforts

Louisiana Senator Seeks Resumption of Resilience Investment Program

Texas: A Microcosm of U.S. Climate Perils

BRIC Funding Loss Underscores Need for Collective Action on Climate Resilience

Weather Balloons’ Role in Readiness, Resilience

ClimateTech Connect Confronts Climate Peril From Washington Stage

Catastrophes, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Resilience, Flood Insurance, Floods, Homeowners Insurance, Hurricane, Risk Management, Severe Convective Storm, Wildfire, Wind

Texas: A Microcosm
of U.S. Climate Perils

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Devastating flooding in central Texas over the July 4, 2025, weekend highlighted several aspects of the state’s risk profile that also are relevant to the rest of the country, according to the latest Triple-I Issues Brief. One is the rising incidence of severe inland flooding related to tropical storms.

Tropical Storm Barry made landfall in Mexico on June 29 and weakened quickly, but its remnant moisture drifted northward into Texas, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University and a Triple-I non-resident scholar.

“A slow-moving low-pressure area developed and helped bring up the moisture-rich air rom Barry and concentrated it over the Hill Country of central Texas,” Klotzbach said. “The soil was also extremely hard from prior drought conditions, which exacerbated the flash flooding that occurred.”

Such flooding far from landfall has become more frequent and severe in recent years.  In Texas – as in much of the United States, particularly far from the coasts – few homeowners have flood insurance. Many believe flood damage is covered by their homeowners’ or renters’ insurance. Others believe the coverage is not worth buying if their mortgage lender doesn’t require it.  In Kerr County, where much of the July 4 flooding took place, flood insurance take-up rates through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were 2.5 percent.

Convective storms, fires, and freezes

But tropical storms aren’t always the impetus for flooding. In July 2023, a series of intense thunderstorms resulted in heavy rainfall, deadly flash floods, and severe river flooding in eastern Kentucky and central Appalachia. The conditions that lead to such severe convective storms also are prevalent in Texas.

Severe convective storms are a growing source of losses for property/casualty insurers. According to Gallagher Re, severe convective storm events in 2023 and 2024 “have cost global insurers a remarkable US$143 billion, of which US$120 billion occurred in the U.S. alone.”

Given its aridity and winds, it should be no surprise that Texas is highly subject to wildfire – but the state also has been increasingly prone to severe winter storms and debilitating freezes. On Valentine’s Day 2021, snow fell across most of Texas, accumulating as temperatures stayed below freezing and precipitation continued through the night. A catastrophic failure of the state’s independent electric grid exacerbated these conditions as snow and ice shut down roads and many homes suffered pipe bursts and multiple days without power.

Texas’s 2021 experience illustrates how grid instability can act as a “risk multiplier” for natural disasters. The entire U.S. electric power grid is increasingly vulnerable as the infrastructure ages and proliferating AI data centers increase demand.  

Need for data and collaboration

The severe damage and loss of life from the July 4 flooding have naturally raised the question of whether the Trump Administration’s reductions in National Weather Service  staffing contributed to the high human cost of this event. While it is hard to say with certainty, these cuts have affected how NWS works – for example, in its use of weather balloons to monitor weather. As early as April, staffing data gathered by NWS indicated that field offices were “critically understaffed”.

In June, panelists at Triple-I’s Joint Industry Forum expressed concern about the impact of the federal cuts on weather monitoring and modeling, as well as programs to help communities adequately prepare for and recover from disasters. Triple-I has published extensively on the need for insurers to shift from exclusively focusing on repairing and replacing property to predicting events and preventing damage.

Collective action at all levels – individual, commercial, and government – is needed to mitigate risks, build resilience, and reduce fraud and legal system abuse. Triple-I and its members are committed to fostering such action and regularly provide data and analysis to inform the necessary conversations.

Learn More:

Triple-I Brief Highlights Rising Inland Flood Risk

Hurricane Helene Highlights Inland Flood Protection Gap

JIF 2025: Federal Cuts Imperil Resilience Efforts

Weather Balloons’ Role in Readiness, Resilience

ClimateTech Connect Confronts Climate Peril From Washington Stage

BRIC Funding Loss Underscores Need for Collective Action on Climate Resilience

JIF 2024: Collective, Data-Driven Approaches Needed to Address Climate-Related Perils

Texas Winter Storm Costs Raise Extreme-Weather Flags for States, Localities

Battery Fire, E-mobility, Emerging Risks, Health & Safety, Homeowners Insurance, Risk Management, Technology

JIF 2025 “Risk Takes”:
Data Solutions for Today’s Challenges

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By Lewis Nibbelin, Contributing Writer, Triple-I

Analysis based on granular, cutting-edge data is essential to staying ahead in our rapidly shifting risk landscape. During Triple-I’s Joint Industry Forum in Chicago, two “Risk Take” presenters dove deep into the innovative data initiatives they engaged in to help turn these challenges into new opportunities for insurers.

Balancing consumer needs

With natural catastrophe frequency and supply chain uncertainty on the rise, so are home maintenance costs. Estimated to exceed $10,000 annually in 2024 – at a 5.9 percent year-over-year increase – home maintenance further weighs against the mounting costs of premium rates and property taxes across the U.S., leading many homeowners to forgo investing in at-home risk mitigation like smart home telematics.

“Across the providers we’ve talked to, adoption of telematics falls somewhere between the single digits,” said presenter James Bilodeau, CEO and founder of PreFix Inc. “The reason is simple: the value proposition of what we would like homeowners to do isn’t important enough compared to what homeowners actually need.”

For Bilodeau, the solution is also simple: combine advanced technology with routine preventative maintenance. By providing personalized, year-round home repair, Bilodeau’s Texas-based firm aims to mitigate losses while gathering unique primary data on the properties they service. Insurers can use this data to develop telematics technology and more accurately price the associated risks.

Such data collection “creates a flywheel in which we help our partners delight their customers with exceptional service and hit directly at affordability issues, both with home maintenance and in premium reduction,” Bilodeau said.

After a successful pilot program, USAA expanded its partnership with the company to offer discounted maintenance services to members who sign up for PreFix. Noting that the company is pursuing partnerships with other major insurers, Bilodeau highlighted that industry collaboration is crucial to not only facilitate more refined coverage but to lower the cost of entry to enhancing resilience.

Emerging public safety risks

An eightfold increase in New York City fire incidents between 2019 and 2023 correlates strongly with the growing popularity of e-mobility devices, according to a joint report by UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) and Oxford Economics that is based in part on Triple-I data.

Presenting on the report, ULSE Director of Insights Sayon Deb explained how lithium-ion battery fires linked to e-bikes and scooters became a mainstream risk for COVID-era urban environments, due in part to the booming online food and grocery delivery market.

“Nearly $519 million worth of damages were caused in just four years from structural property damage, injuries, and loss of life,” Deb said, pointing out that this figure does not account for “the additional cost of communal fear, in terms of fires happening across the hallway from you, and also the loss in economic opportunities and the community toll that it takes as we respond to these fires.”

Inadequate public safety awareness, paired with the easy availability of uncertified devices, helped fuel the crisis. Beyond overusing or incorrectly charging the devices, e-mobility users often left them in dangerous locations, with “66 percent of those who charge at home charging their devices near their exit,” Deb explained – effectively “blocking your exit from your home in the event of a fire.”

E-mobility regulations vary wildly by state. Though New York City regulations passed in 2023 show progress, ULSE recommends more proactive public outreach, safety standard enforcement, and incident reporting to better track e-mobility risk data.

“The better the data we collect, the better we can understand where, how, and why these battery fires occur, so that we can prevent future fires from happening,” Deb concluded.

Learn More:

JIF 2025: U.S. Policy Changes and Uncertainty Imperil Insurance Affordability

JIF 2025: Litigation Trends, Artificial Intelligence Take Center Stage

Insurance Affordability, Availability Demand Collaboration, Innovation

E-Mobility Battery Fire Data Exposes Potential “Blind Spot” for Insurers

Disaster Preparedness, Health & Safety, Homeowners Insurance, Lightning, Risk Management

Lightning-Related Homeowners Claims
Fell 16.5% in 2024

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By Loretta Worters, Vice President, Media Relations, Triple-I

Lightning-related homeowners’ insurance claims totaled $1.04 billion in 2024, a 16.5 percent decrease from 2023, according to new data from the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm, the largest writer of homeowners’ insurance in the United States. The number of lightning-caused claims also fell significantly, dropping 21.5 percent, to 55,537, the lowest level recorded since before 2017.

More than half of all claims came from the top 10 states, with Florida, Texas, and California leading the country in lightning-related property losses.

“Fewer claims and a decline in severity indicate increased awareness and improved mitigation,” said Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. “Nonetheless, lightning remains a significant threat to property and safety, particularly during storm season.”

Key lightning claim stats for 2024

  • Total number of claims: 55,537 (down from 70,787 in 2023)
  • Total claims value: $1.04 billion (down from $1.24 billion)
  • National average cost per claim: $18,641
  • Highest state average: $38,558 in Texas

Top three states by lightning losses

  • Florida – 4,780 claims, $113M in damages
  • Texas – 4,369 claims, $168M in damages
  • California – 4,005 claims, $75M in damages

“Lightning remains a costly and unpredictable threat, with ground surges causing nearly half of all claims,” said Michal Brower of State Farm. “These events can cause extensive damage to electrical systems, appliances, and even structural issues. The damage underscores the critical need for homeowners to be aware of the risks, invest in protective measures, and stay prepared, especially in high-risk regions where lightning strikes are most frequent and damaging.”

Lightning strikes can cause more than just a power outage. Common impacts include:

  • Fires in attics, roofs, or walls
  • Power surges that destroy electronics and appliances
  • Structural damage
  • Injury or even death

How to Stay Protected

Homeowners can protect their families and property by following a few guidelines:

  • Install whole-home surge protection and unplug devices during storms;
  • Consider a certified lightning protection system;
  • Check your homeowners’ insurance policy for lightning and surge-related coverage; and
  • Stay indoors and avoid wired devices during thunderstorms.

Damage caused by lightning, such as fire, is covered by standard homeowners’ insurance policies.  Some policies provide coverage for power surges that are the direct result of a lightning strike. 

The Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) notes that lightning strikes can occur at an astonishing rate of 100 times per second.

“Whether it’s a family home or a mission-critical facility, no property is immune to lightning,” said Tim Harger, Executive Director at LPI, whose organization provides resources for the design, installation, and inspection of lightning protection systems. “The most effective time to prevent lightning damage is before a storm. A lightning risk assessment paired with a professionally installed protection system can make all the difference in keeping people safe and operations uninterrupted.”

While lightning-related claims may be down, the risk is still very real, especially in high-strike areas like Florida, Texas, and California. Taking preventive steps now can reduce exposure to costly damage later.

Learn More:

Lightning Protection Institute

The Importance of Protecting Critical Facilities From Lightning Strikes

Lightning: Quantifying a Complex, Costly Peril to Support Resilience

Beyond Fire: Triple-I Interview Unravels Lightning-Risk Complexity