As of Friday, September 2, a tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to bring heavy rainfall and flooding to the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, Katia—which has been shifting between a hurricane and tropical storm—was advancing northwest through the Atlantic ocean, with the potential to reach the United States late the week of September 5.

As organizations continue their recovery from Hurricane Irene, it is important for risk managers and business owners to monitor new storm activity that could affect their businesses.

Organizations with interests in areas that could be affected by one or both of these events should continue to monitor local news and advisories from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and various state and local agencies. The latest developments on storm activity can be found via the National Hurricane Center.

In addition, risk managers and business owners can continue to find relevant content on Marsh’s Disaster Recovery Portal, including:

• a hurricane preparedness and response checklist;
• a briefing on tropical cyclone risks;
• guidance on how to prepare for and respond to flooding; and
• guidance on how to manage power outages and other service interruptions that could result from storm activity.

Guidance is also available on risks to specific industries, including construction, real estate, and hospitality.

Information is also available on various Marsh services, including:

• post-loss damage assessments;
• catastrophic response services;
• business interruption services; and
• supply chain resiliency.

Marsh’s property risk, business continuity, and crisis management experts are available to assist clients with both pre- and post-event concerns. If you have business interests in potentially affected areas, would like assistance with property inspections or a review of your business continuity planning, or have questions regarding your insurance coverages, please contact your local Marsh relationship manager or call:

• The Marsh Catastrophe Hotline at +1 866 252 7492; or
• Marsh Risk Consulting’s hotline at +1 212 345 9589 (+1 866 928 7475 within the U.S. and Canada).

Marsh’s local dedicated claims team and client executives can also support clients in their business recovery in the event that they are impacted. The local teams are supported by our regional and international claims teams, including a team of specialists for large or complex claims. To file a claim, contact your client executive or send an email to the appropriate address listed below:

• U.S. East:  East.claimreporting@marsh.com
• U.S. Central:  Central.claimreporting@marsh.com
• U.S. West:  West.claimreporting@marsh.com