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Topics Geo: Natural Catastrophes 2012

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Topics Geo: Natural Catastrophes 2012 Natural catastrophes 2012 TOPICS Analyses, assessments, positions 2013 issue GEO The great drought USA experiences the worst drought catastrophe of recent decades. PAGE 16 Hurricane Sandy In Focus NatCatSERVICE Record storm surge Russia – A land of Overview of natural along US East Coast extremes catastrophes 1980–2012 EDITORIAL Dear Reader, First Irene then Sandy: the two tropical cyclones struck the northeast coast of the USA in consecutive years. Whilst Irene had caused moderate losses in 2011, Sandy, a late-October storm, graphically demonstrated the destructive power of hurricanes. Sandy ranks alongside Hurricanes Andrew (1992) and Katrina (2005) as one of the costliest storms in terms of insured losses. Power outages lasting several days in some areas also showed just how vulnerable modern society is, despite all the preventive measures. Overall, the natural catastrophe statistics for 2012 were largely dominated by atmospheric events, with no catastrophic earthquakes. Due to a number of major weather-related catastrophes, including severe tornado outbreaks in the spring and a record drought in the US Midwest, the USA accounted for an exceptionally high proportion of natural catastrophes. However, Russia also experienced unusually hot, dry conditions, and vast tracts of land were devastated by wildfires. In view of climate change, it is to be feared that Russia will be increasingly aVected by disastrous natural hazard events. Our “In Focus” section presents an analysis of the situation and explores the consequences for the insurance industry. There has been a clear upward trend in natural catastrophe losses for some decades now. Topics Geo examines the extent to which this is due to popula- tion growth, increased prosperity and other socio-economic factors and the extent to which it is attributable to an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural hazard events. This plays a key role in natural hazard assessment, for instance when calculating loss return periods. Such risk assessments will only provide valid results if data from past events can be classified correctly. For the first time, Topics Geo includes both the 2012 World Map of Natural Catastrophes and a continent-by-continent breakdown of events recorded in our NatCatSERVICE database since 1980. I sincerely hope that this issue of Topics Geo will provide useful support for your day-to-day work, and wish you an informative read. Munich, February 2013 Dr. Torsten Jeworrek Member of Munich Re’s Board of Management Chairman of the Reinsurance Committee NOT IF, BUT HOW Munich Re Topics Geo 2012 1 Contents IN FOCUS: Russia is a place of extremes – it CATASTROPHE PORTRAITS: Hurricane is the largest country by land mass and subject 6Sandy hits New York, causing a severe storm 16 to all types of natural hazard event. surge. Sandy is one of the insurance industry’s most expensive storms ever. 6 In focus 16 Catastrophe portraits 6 Russian Federation – A land of extremes 16 Drought in the US Midwest Heat and dryness led to the worst 13 Facts on climate change in Russia drought in decades. Climate change is already making itself felt. Its eVects on and implications for the 20 A tough year for farmers and insurers insurance industry are discussed. An interview with a farmer and a US crop insurance specialist. 25 Column Prof. Dr. Peter Höppe on droughts – An underestimated natural hazard. 26 Earthquake series in Emilia Romagna, northern Italy A series of tremors caused Italy’s highest insured earthquake loss to date. 30 Hurricane Sandy impacts US East Coast 2 Munich Re Topics Geo 2012 CLIMATE AND CLIMATE CHANGE: While NATCATSERVICE: Munich Re analyses and industry focuses on technical solutions , the 38 documents global loss events in the world’s 48 developing world pins its hopes on financial most comprehensive nat cat database. support. 38 Climate and climate change Editorial 1 News 4 Imprint 38 Society and politics World map and summary of natural catastrophes in 2012 42 Facts, figures, background 48 NatCatSERVICE and Research 50 The year in pictures 52 The year in figures 54 Natural catastrophes 1980–2012 56 Loss trends – How much would past events cost by today’s standards? How are losses aVected by socio- economic developments over a period of time? Munich Re Topics Geo 2012 3 NEWS CLIMATE RISK INDEX DISASTER RESEARCH PUBLICATION Thailand and Cambodia Disaster loss data working Study on weather risks in the suYer most group formed USA and Canada The annual Global Climate Risk IRDR (Integrated Research on Disas- Weather-related natural catastro- Index (CRI) published by German- ter Risk), a programme of the Inter- phes are increasing at a much faster watch shows the extent to which national Council for Science, has set pace in North America than on any countries have been aVected by up the DATA (Disaster L oss Data) other continent. Our latest study, extreme weather like floods, storms Working Group. At its first meeting, “Severe weather in North America”, and heatwaves. This is based on in October 2012, 12 participants from analyses diVerent weather phenom- Munich Re’s NatCatSERVICE data- universities, governments, UN and ena and their consequences. We base together with demographic EU organisations and the insurance examine the reasons behind the and economic data provided by the industry set the agenda for the next increase in weather risks, including International Monetary Fund. In 2011, 12 months. The aim is to standardise climate variability and climate change, the list was headed by Thailand, the terminoloGy and classification of and recommend risk mitigation and Cambodia and Pakistan. In the period natural disasters so that databases prevention measures designed to deal between 1991 and 2011, Honduras, are globally comparable. A further with extreme events. It is planned Myanmar and NicaraGua ranked step involves work on an international to extend the weather risks series to highest in terms of losses and fatal- numbering system for natural catas- other regions. ities. trophes. This will improve transpar- ency and facilitate data analysis. >> Further information is available at: >> Further information can be found at: >> Details on how to order the www.germanwatch.org www.irdrinternational.org study are available at: www.munichre.com/touch/ publications News in brief MCII now in operation: Munich Climate Insurance Initia- Dr. Anselm Smolka, who is in charge of the section Corpo- tive proposes insurance solutions within the framework of rate Underwriting Geo Risks, retires from Munich Re on the COP climate negotiations. More information on this 30 September 2013. Munich Re’s Geo Risks Research and the current pilot project is available at: www.climate- Department was built up by Dr. Smolka and Dr. Gerhard insurance.org . Berz, for many years its head. Dr. Smolka was responsible for producing the insurance industry’s first probabilistic The normalised data recorded in Munich Re’s earthquake risk model in 1987. He will be succeeded by his NatCatSERVICE database have been further enhanced current deputy, Alexander Allmann, a Geophysicist. with eVect from January 2013. Analyses, graphs and stat- istics are available as free downloads at: www.munichre. com/touch>>NatCatSERVICE Downloadcenter 4 Munich Re Topics Geo 2012 CRESTA zones using France as an illustration DiGital CRESTA zone maps are the basis used for natural hazard model- linG, accumulation control and mappinG. In future, hiGh resolution (see diaGram on the riGht) and low resolution versions will be available. Paris Strasbourg Lyons bordeaux Marseilles CRESTA reform promises greater risk transparency CRESTA, an independent initiative whose main goal To facilitate the changeover to the new system, users is to establish a uniform, global system for the accu- will initially be able to access both the new and the mulation risk control of natural hazards, was founded old zones, subzones and maps. Conversion tables will some 30 years ago. In 2013, CRESTA’s current zoning be available so that the old zones can be linked with standard will be overhauled. the new ones. Users will still be able to visualise aggregated sums insured per CRESTA zone – in CRESTA zones – the acronym stands for Catastrophe schedule form or in detail – by uploading the ACORD Risk Evaluating and Standardizing Target Accumula- (Association for Cooperative Operations Research tions – give primary insurers and reinsurers a system and Development) standard table. Another new key that enables them to transfer aggregated exposure function available at no additional cost will allow data. Currently, there are zones – and in some cases users to establish CRESTA zones for their insured subzones – for 86 countries. risks for any given coordinates in just a few short steps. To give insurers an even better service, CRESTA The task of running the CRESTA secretariat is trad- zones will in future be based on oVicial boundaries itionally performed in alternate years by Munich Re rather than perils, since postcodes and administrative and Swiss Re. In 2013, the secretariat will be headed zones are generally simpler to use and easily access- by Dr. Jürgen Schimetschek, Geo Risks Manager in ible. There will be high resolution and low resolution Munich Re’s Corporate Underwriting/Accumulation versions of the CRESTA zones. The high resolution Risks unit. version is designed for data transfer and natural haz- ard modelling. The low resolution version can be used >> Further information is available at: www.cresta.org for accumulation risk control and to visualise aggre- gated insured values on maps. In addition, a further 49 countries will be added to the database, so that there will be 250,000 high resolution zones world- wide instead of the present 43,000. The oVicial sup- plier of the special worldwide CRESTA zone maps is GfK GeoMarketing. Munich Re Topics Geo 2012 5 IN FOCUS Russian Federation – A land of extremes Russia is the site of major geological and hydro- meteorological events, weather extremes and other grandiose natural phenomena.
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