Archive for May, 2015

San Andreas, The Movie

Sunday, May 31st, 2015
San Andreas Movie

Summer Blockbuster

It’s the week-end and time for a (not-so-relaxing) movie. San Andreas is expected to be a summer blockbuster and who can resist a movie about a severe earthquake with such an impressive cast and special effects? I loved the actor Paul Giamatti when he played Ben Bernanke in “Too Big To Fail” and loved him even more in the role of the seismologist in this movie. His advice to “Drop, Cover, Hold On” will probably reach more viewers, and maybe save lives, than all of the disaster preparedness public service announcements broadcast to date.  In recent meetings with insurance company clients, this movie became a topic of discussion when one person remarked that fewer than 10 per cent of Californians have earthquake insurance, a figure that is unlikely to change despite the movie’s likely success at the box office.

But we all agreed that the movie both entertained us while raising awareness about the key hazards associated with earthquakes, such as the fires. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake caused gas pipes to break, thereby starting widespread fires.  The movie plot captures the follow-on fire risk, helpful for those of us who didn’t learn about the San Francisco earthquake in our grammar school history classes.  The movie also shows the fear resulting from the series of aftershocks that follow the earthquake. Earthquake survivors are often stressed out for never knowing how severe the next aftershock will be or when the aftershocks will end. The movie also shows how the earthquake at the San Andreas fault triggers seismic events as far away as Nevada. The special effects and the actors were fantastic.

Perhaps we could persuade the producers to make a sequel? “San Andreas Part 2” could star Dwayne Johnson as he tries to rebuild his life and his local community, following the earthquake. The recovery process goes on for years, leaving him emotionally drained. He finds that half of the small businesses he used to patronize have permanently closed as they could not resume operations following the disaster. And he raises awareness about the vulnerability of our small business economy to severe natural hazards. Actually, the sequel idea is not so far-fetched. In real life, the actor Dwayne Johnson is reported to support charities and causes aiding members of the armed forces. Military veterans are the most entrepreneurial group, as many start their own businesses after completing their service. With such star power, the sequel could raise awareness about the long-term economic consequences of earthquakes, maybe even drawing on the experiences of small businesses devastated by natural hazards.

 

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Saturday, May 30th, 2015

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Friday, May 29th, 2015

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Thursday, May 28th, 2015

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Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

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Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

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Memorial Day

Monday, May 25th, 2015
Honoring Those Who Served

Honoring Those Who Served

Today is Memorial Day and in addition to remembering those who served, we can also honor veterans by patronizing their businesses. There are three million veteran-owned businesses in the United States, as men and women bring the leadership skills they developed during their military service to become successful entrepreneurs. There are online directories to locate businesses that have been certified by the U.S. Veterans Administration as being veteran-owned. It is amazing how military service equips people to become successful with their own businesses. My home inspector is an Air Force veteran and his business is the best of its kind in the state. One of my favorite restaurants was started by a Navy veteran. So today as we remember and honor those who served, we can also support what they continue to do for us in our local communities.

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Sunday, May 24th, 2015

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Environmental Metrics

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015
Measuring Savings

Measuring Savings

There is an old saying that “what is measured, is managed” so I am always intrigued to see ways of measuring the impacts of small steps we can each take to reduce our environmental footprint/carbon emissions to reduce disaster impacts. This dispenser provides filtered water to employees of a Fortune 500 company. Each floor has one to encourage use. The dispenser is equipped with an automatic sensor. Once you place your refillable bottle underneath the spout, filtered water is dispensed and the small green screen at the top right of the unit tracks the number of refills as “Helped eliminate waste from 13,457 disposable plastic bottles”. The dispenser is an effective reminder of the cumulative benefits of avoiding disposable plastic water bottles that only wind up in landfills.

NuRide is another service that measures and rewards individual efforts to reduce environmental impacts. You can sign up for NuRide and use the service to find a ride-share or a car-pooling buddy. You can also create a free account and enter details of when and where you took public transportation, shared a ride with someone or walked or biked to your destination. You earn points for these efforts and they add up to rewards such as free admission to cultural events or discounts on purchases. I am trying to work out a model of how we would measure improved small business commercial resiliency measures and, in an analytically rigorous way, translate those measures into reduced premiums commensurate with better risk practices. So I find these models helpful and, of course, use both.

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Friday, May 22nd, 2015

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