McKenzie Intelligence Services (MIS), a global provider of real-time, verified catastrophe data, and the California Insurance Emergency Response Association (CIERA) have announced a one-year partnership to enhance insurance coordination during major catastrophic events across the state.
The collaboration comes as California faces an increasing frequency of billion-dollar disasters, including wildfires, floods, droughts, and earthquakes, according to InsurTech Insights.
With more than 50 such disasters since 1980, and eight catastrophic events in the past five years accounting for nearly 21% of the state’s total economic losses, the need for an efficient, data-driven response has never been greater.
CIERA has identified operational challenges and data complexities as key barriers to effective disaster recovery.
Through its partnership with MIS, the initiative aims to establish a centralised and standardised operating model. This model will ensure insurance carriers and loss adjusters deploy resources efficiently and coordinate with state, federal, and local authorities.
MIS will provide CIERA members with real-time, verified disaster intelligence, offering critical insights on road closures, power outages, emergency declarations, and other vital information.
This data will enable faster and more accurate claims processing, helping insurers streamline responses and improve service to policyholders.
By leveraging advanced data solutions, the partnership seeks to strengthen California’s resilience to catastrophic events and enhance post-disaster recovery efforts across the insurance sector.
Forbes McKenzie, founder and CEO of MIS, said: “We are thrilled to build on our partnership with CIERA, which marks a significant step in enhancing the insurance industry’s preparedness and response to California’s unique challenges in disaster recovery.”
MIS and CIERA have a history of collaboration, with MIS supporting CIERA at its last two Annual Meetings. MIS’s Global Events Observer (GEO) platform, designed to deliver reliable post-catastrophe data, has been a key tool in the Lloyd’s of London disaster response process since its 2021 launch. The GEO platform covers over 200 global catastrophic events, including wildfires, earthquakes, flooding, and hurricanes.
At the upcoming CIERA Annual Meeting in February, MIS will lead an exercise based on the HayWired scenario, developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and tailored to the insurance industry. GEO will play a central role in this exercise, allowing CIERA members to gain hands-on experience with the platform and prepare for real-world disaster response.
Regardless of whether CIERA is activated during a specific event, MIS will grant all CIERA members access to California-focused event assessments within GEO. Additionally, CIERA members who wish to expand GEO’s use to assess national or global risks will benefit from an exclusive discount.
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