In this Insurance Institute of London (IIL) claims lecture Colin Brown will talk about how the Red Cross offer and provide home and worldwide support to communities when disaster strikes and how that support lessens long-term impacts, enabling people to re-establish health and wellbeing.

As well as damage to physical structures, disasters cause immense harm to people and communities. Such harm is often invisible but understanding it and the consequences enables sensible and structured solutions. Solutions fit each event. The long experience British Red Cross has in dealing with disasters means they can quickly assess what needs to be done and then do it quickly. Aid can be basic life necessities like food and accommodation, clothing, cash provision where appropriate and generally helping people reconstruct their lives.

We are all familiar with recent high profile home events and overseas disasters like the Bahamas; all of which had, and has, Red Cross involvement. As well as experienced paid officials, aid is distributed by home and worldwide volunteers who are on emergency call out.

By the end of this lecture members would have gained an insight into:

• Understanding the link between physical and human damages when disasters strike
• How inclusion of community and people support following a disaster will assist in managing the cost of physical damage
• Constructing and enabling disaster plans to include community and people support

Chair:
Bob Still ACII, Commercial Claims Manager, Ladbroke Scor.