3 September 2014News

Napa losses well below initial estimates

RMS, the catastrophe risk management firm, has said that insured losses from the South Napa earthquake will not exceed $250 million.

The loss estimate reflects the combination of observed damage patterns in amalgamation with the limited earthquake insurance penetration in the region.

This is quite a decrease from initial estimates that arose just after the earthquake struck on Sunday August 24, 2014. Eqecat predicted insured losses of between $500 million and $1 billion from the earthquake.

The Insurance Information Institute produced a lower estimate of “well under $1 billion”, but added that the 6.0 magnitude event rivalled the intensity of California’s 1989 and 1994 earthquakes.

RMS recon teams found that damage from the South Napa Earthquake was within expectations given its magnitude and location.

After surveying areas affected by the earthquake, RMS found that the majority of damage was extremely localised within Napa County.

“The majority of businesses impacted by the earthquake reopened within a week of the event, following repairs and cleaning efforts. Most area wineries were impacted in some way – primarily by storage barrel damage – but are now open for business,” said RMS.