Travelers Institute Holds Annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness Season” Event in New Orleans

Business Wire

The Lowlander Center to receive 2017 Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), will host its seventh annual “Kicking Off Hurricane Preparedness Season” symposium. The event will offer recommendations to help families and businesses get ready for the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins June 1. SBP, a national disaster recovery organization, and the New Orleans chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), will co-host the symposium.

“Hurricanes and other severe weather can have a long-term impact on communities,” said Joan Woodward, President of the Travelers Institute and Executive Vice President of Public Policy at Travelers. “Properly preparing for storm season is critical to keeping your family safe, protecting your property and maintaining business operations.”

During the symposium, the Lowlander Center, a Louisiana-based nonprofit organization that provides education, research and advocacy for the state’s coastal communities, will receive the Travelers Excellence in Community Resilience Award. The $100,000 grant is presented annually by the Travelers Institute and the Travelers Foundation to recognize organizations that are showing leadership in the field of community resiliency.

Keynote speaker Brian Zachry, a storm surge specialist at the National Hurricane Center, will highlight changes the organization is making to better serve communities and its partners.

“Beginning with the 2017 hurricane season, the National Weather Service will issue storm surge watches and warnings to highlight areas along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the continental United States that have a significant risk of life-threatening inundation from a tropical cyclone,” said Zachry. “This will advance our ability to communicate the storm surge hazard, which is often the greatest threat to life and property.”

Zachry will participate in a panel discussion moderated by Woodward and will be joined by Shirley Laska, Co-Founder of the Lowlander Center; Tina Meilleur, Founder and CEO of Design Your Success, and incoming president of NAWBO New Orleans; and Zack Rosenburg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SBP.

Please visit www.travelers.com for more information on preparing for hurricanes.

About the Travelers Institute

The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and to the financial services industry more broadly. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers’ senior management, as well as the technical expertise of many of Travelers’ underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information, analysis and solutions to public policymakers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.