RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation Supports Disaster Mitigation Conference on Capitol Hill

PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation announced today the successful completion of the “Opportunities for Integrating Disaster Mitigation and Energy Retrofit Programs” conference on June 14, 2010. The event was also sponsored by Ceres, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and The Travelers Institute, and took place on Capitol Hill in the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Room.

Attendees of the conference included representatives from the disaster safety community, policymakers and the insurance industry and focused on the important synergies between the areas of risk mitigation, structural resiliency and energy efficiency initiatives.

The event featured expert panelists from preeminent disaster safety, energy and environmental organizations, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Community and Regional Resilience Institute, U.S. Green Building Council, Rebuild Northwest Florida, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. The keynote speaker was Dr. Sandra Knight, Deputy Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administrator of FEMA, whose presentation was entitled, “Before and After Disaster Strikes: Can you Think Green?”

Michael Cohen, Director of the RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation, the Company’s VP of Government Affairs and Moderator of the “Lessons Learned and Ways Forward” panel, said: “It was gratifying to see so many of the key players in the hazard mitigation field together in one room. It was clear there is a consensus about the need for more mitigation action from Congress and federal leaders. The enthusiasm and commitment from the conference participants will lead to more awareness about the value of and need for people to better protect themselves and their property from the dangers presented by natural catastrophes. RenaissanceRe is committed to helping lead this important effort.”

Stephen Weinstein, Chairman of the RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation and the Company’s SVP & General Counsel, said: “We believe investment in disaster mitigation and other policies that proactively reduce risk represent the most promising means to help all residents of storm-exposed communities safeguard themselves from natural catastrophes and also, over time, to reduce the economic hazards faced by coastal families and businesses.”

Through its Risk Sciences Foundation, RenaissanceRe is committed to researching and developing risk mitigation techniques and raising awareness of the benefits of effective risk mitigation. One of the Company’s current mitigation initiatives is StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes™, an educational attraction located in INNOVENTIONS, at Epcot® at Walt Disney World, where visitors experience the power of a weather event, while learning how to make their homes more resilient. Another is the RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind, a state-of-the-art testing facility that simulates the effects of hurricanes on full-scale buildings to improve housing construction practices and identify effective mitigation techniques.

Further support of disaster safety is achieved through the Hurricane Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum series. These invitation-only events convene leading scientists, academics, environmentalists, first responders, non-profit organization, public and private sector representatives to advance hurricane risk mitigation efforts and awareness. The next Forum is named the Texas Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum and will take place on June 28-29, 2010. This Forum will bring together hurricane safety experts, policy-makers and thought leaders to focus on how we can make communities in Texas safer from extreme weather events. To request an invitation to the Forum, email [email protected] . Information, including presentations, white papers and principles from the four previous Forum events, can be found at the Forum series website: www.mitigationleadership.com

About the RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation

RenaissanceRe (NYSE: RNR) created the RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation to support advanced scientific research in atmospheric risks, the development of risk mitigation techniques to safeguard communities, efforts that reduce the economic turmoil following disasters, and organizations that preserve coastal habitats. The Foundation promotes education, preparation, adaptation and mitigation of natural catastrophe risks through a number of activities, including the Hurricane Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum Series. For more information, visit www.mitigationleadership.com.

RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation
Michael Cohen, 301-351-4400
or
Kekst and Company
David Lilly or Dawn Dover, 212-521-4800

Source: RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation