Why Insurance Matters: Insights from Research Post-disaster

This article by CSS Christine Eriksen reviews the findings from an Australian research project examining the role that insurance coverage (or the lack thereof) plays in disaster recovery. It considers the implications of insurance within a shared-responsibility model for emergency management and disaster mitigation policy and practice. The insurance industry has the ability to improve community recovery through greater disaster preparedness efforts. This article argues that what is needed in Australian emergency management policy is an increased emphasis on disaster mitigation spending, as well as a more holistic understanding of recovery, in which insurance is understood as one tool within a complex process.