Jefferson City, Mo — A string of natural disasters have devastated the Carolinas, southeast Texas, Puerto Rico and most recently northwestern Florida. On Wednesday, October 24th, elected officials, civic leaders and industry experts will convene at The Brass on Baltimore in Kansas City for the Community Recovery and Resilience Leadership Forum. The forum will tackle urgent issues pertaining to disaster mitigation, flood mapping, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, resiliency strategies and the role of the private sector in disaster relief. 

The forum, which is free to attend, will examine the importance of preventative measures to prepare communities for future disasters. Through panel discussions and interactive Q&A, experts will explore how governments and community leaders might effectively reform earthquake and flood insurance and advance best practices for risk mitigation and reduction. 

The Missouri Department of Insurance will have several staff in attendance at the event. Angela Nelson, director of Market Regulation for the Department, will be participating on the Earthquake insurance panel. 

“Missourians know firsthand that insurance coverage is crucial in recovering from a natural disaster.  And, the best time to have that conversation is before a disaster strikes,” said Angela Nelson. “This Forum provides an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in insurance issues, community resilience or disaster recovery to learn more about the insurance markets and what we can to do reduce the coverage gap.” 

Notable speakers include: 

• Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II, U.S. House of Representatives, Missouri 
• Michael Consedine, CEO, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 
• John Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner 
• John Huff, President and CEO, Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR) 
• Ray Lehmann, Director, Finance, Insurance & Trade Policy, R Street Institute 
• Samantha Medlock, Senior Vice President, Head of North America Capital, Science & Policy, Willis Towers Watson 
• Daniel Stander, Global Managing Director, RMS 
• Paul Taylor, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska) 
• Brian Treece, Mayor, City of Columbia, Missouri 
• Nancy Watkins, Principal, Consulting Actuary, Milliman 
• Roy Wright, President and CEO, Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)