(Image source: MIS website.)
McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS, London) and the California Insurance Emergency Response Association (CIERA; San Ramon, Calif.) have announced an initial one-year partnership aimed at improving the coordination of the insurance industry’s response to major catastrophic events in California.
Between 1980 and 2024, California experienced over 50 events with losses exceeding $1 billion, primarily from wildfires, flooding, drought, and earthquakes. In the last five years, eight such events have accounted for nearly 21 percent of the state’s total economic losses during the past 44 years. The recent devastating LA wildfires, considered among the worst disasters to ever affect the U.S., further underscore California’s vulnerability.
Forbes McKenzie, Founder and CEO, MIS.
CIERA’s stated mission is to enhance the insurance industry’s ability to respond to catastrophes. With significant operational challenges in disaster response, particularly in the insurance sector, effective coordination is essential to help affected communities recover, a statement from the organization says. One of the key barriers to this, according to CIERA, is the overwhelming complexity and availability of data sources, which this partnership aims to overcome.
In its partnership with MIS, CIERA aims to create a centralized, standardized operating model for insurance carriers and loss adjusters to ensure the right resources are deployed at the right time, guided by state, federal, and local authorities, as well as other stakeholders.
MIS will provide CIERA members with detailed, one-stop verified data following major events. This will enhance the organization’s ability to respond efficiently, improving service to policyholders. MIS will also offer additional verified data on road closures, power outages, emergency declarations, and more.
Enhancing the Industry’s Preparedness and Response
“We are thrilled to build on our partnership with CIERA, which marks a significant step in enhancing the insurance industry’s preparedness and response to California’s unique challenges in disaster recovery,” comments Forbes McKenzie, founder and CEO, MIS.
The organizations have collaborated previously, with MIS supporting CIERA at its last two Annual Meetings. MIS’s Global Events Observer (GEO) platform, designed to deliver reliable post-catastrophe data, has become a key tool in the Lloyd’s of London disaster response process since its 2021 launch. GEO covers over 200 global catastrophic events, including wildfires, earthquakes, flooding, and hurricanes.
At the CIERA Annual Meeting in February, MIS will lead an exercise based on the HayWired scenario, developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and tailored to the insurance industry. GEO will be central to the exercise, enabling CIERA members to gain hands-on experience with the platform, in preparation for real events.
Regardless of whether CIERA is activated during a specific event, MIS will grant all CIERA members access to California-focused event assessments within GEO. CIERA members wishing to expand GEO’s use to assess national or global risks will also benefit from an exclusive discount.