Triple-I Webinar to Feature Biden Administration Resilience Experts

For immediate release
New York Press Office: Michael Barry, 917-923-8245, michaelb@iii.org

NEW YORK, April 26, 2021—On Thursday, April 29, weeks ahead of the official start of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) will host a free webinar to hear “The Biden Administration Perspective on Disaster Risk Mitigation and Resilience.”

Caitlin Durkovich, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Resilience and Response at the White House National Security Council (NSC), will be interviewed starting at 11:30 a.m., EDT, by Dr. Michel Léonard, CBE, the Triple-I’s Vice President and Senior Economist. Soon thereafter, Dr. Léonard will interview separately Paul Huang, Acting Associate Administrator of Resilience, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Both Durkovich and Huang will participate in a question-and-answer session. Registration for the one-hour, April 29 webinar is now open to the public.

“The Triple-I’s Resilience Accelerator has demonstrated the power of insurance as a force for resilience by providing interactive information and tools that aim to change people’s behavior, and bring today’s risks more top of mind when making personal, community and business choices so as to recover faster and more completely after natural disasters,” stated Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I, who will offer the webinar’s introductory remarks. “Insurance is well-positioned to help lead through the challenges of climate risk, as we are looking forward to hearing from two key policy makers on the initiatives being taken at the federal level to increase resilience and to reduce the impact of extreme weather events.” The Triple-I also is a partner of the Resilience Innovation Hub.

Beyond leading the development of the Biden Administration’s policies related to the prevention of, and response to, natural and manmade disasters, Durkovich also oversees the strategic policies which build resilience against risks like climate change and cyber threats. Before joining the NSC in January 2021, Durkovich was a Director at Toffler Associates and served as a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.  During the Obama Administration, Durkovich served as U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection (2012-2017).

Having worked in flood hazard mapping, insurance, and mitigation for more than 10 years, Huang brings insights into each of these fields as the career official acting as FEMA's Associate Administrator of Resilience. Huang served previously as FEMA's Assistant Administrator for the Federal Insurance Directorate and as the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration's (FIMA) Risk Analysis Division Director. FIMA is the agency in which the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is housed. During his time at FIMA, Huang helped modernize the nation's flood map inventory and launched the nation's Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) program.

The Triple-I has a full library of educational videos on its YouTube Channel. Information about Triple-I mobile apps can be found here.