No Tie Required

Given the destructive power and resulting disaster that followed our recent hurricane, I believe that some systems need to come together a little better than in the past. In speaking with a friend who is very close to the adjusting process, I inferred from him that, had insurers been involved in FEMA and in other homeland security and similar groups’ planning processes the resulting settlement of claims and provision of care might be enhanced for the future. The Insurance Advocate has commissioned an article that will explore this concept in some depth in an upcoming issue. The incredible number of people who failed to hear clearly and understand thoroughly what would befall them puzzles even the most casual of observers. Failure to evacuate, failure to heed clear warnings and to act sensibly, caused more damage and loss of life that anyone could predict. One observer remarked that hurricanes in the future should bear names that were more serious than a nickname for Sandra or any other pleasant name. Perhaps then people who are told to evacuate might be scared straight toward the evacuation routes that our governments have spent so much time creating… In this issue of the publication we present our annual wrap-up on the Insurance Federation of New York, Inc.’s 98th Annual Free Enterprise Award luncheon with particular pleasure. The Federation went ahead with its plans for the November 9th event despite some skepticism among prospective attendees during a period of time in which 9 out of 10 events were canceled. The Federation went ahead Andrew better than 300 to its annual luncheon that normally has more than 400. While the Association did have that number of reservations, we learned that many individuals were still without power in their offices and in their homes and, of course, we recognize that the transportation systems were bottlenecked everywhere. Nonetheless, the Association enjoyed great success as it honored Robert Benmosche and listened attentively to the remarks made by former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who served as U.S. secretary of the Interior and is now top gun at ACLI. We include his speech in this issue of the Advocate and commend it to your attention. One highlight of the event will be evident from the photo spread in this issue. Readers will wonder why DFS Superintendent Lawsky (pictured) appeared rather casually dressed. The Superintendent, it turns out, had just returned from one of his frequent trips following the hurricane to distressed areas in greater New York. That morning, he and members of his staff traveled to one of the worst hit areas in New York, Breezy Point. The Superintendent and his team were ever present during the aftermath lending assistance to stricken areas deep within New York’s badly afflicted outer boroughs. He was generous, in his remarks, toward the industry’s activity following the hurricane and was robust in his praise of the honoree Robert Benmosche, noting that the honoree had acted honorably following the AIG bailout, repaying the government and taxpayers with interest. The Superintendent has done good service to New Yorkers in a number of ways thus far in his administration, but my favorite will be his on the ground approach following the disaster. Admission to the club of excellent public service is now wide open to this industry leader. No tie required… As if Hurricane Sandy were not enough, one week later a Noreaster whipped up wind and drummed up fear of further damage fast on the heels of Sandy. Fortunately, while there was some damage, the extent was limited. A small side effect of this storm affected a new conference that was sent by Joe Coughlin at the University of Hartford. While the show went on as planned – Coughlin is an Eagle Scout – this attendee, for one, missed it. We will have a wrap-up on this event in the next issue. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers and their families.