Earthquake and Hurricane Risk Evaluations

Overview

When Marubeni – one of Japan’s largest trading conglomerates – purchased a group of electrical generating and distribution plants in the Caribbean, they turned to Thornton Tomasetti to help them understand their exposure to earthquakes, hurricanes and storm surge.

Highlights

• Over two months, our team visited facilities on the islands of Trinidad, Jamaica, Curaçao and Grand Bahama to evaluate each property’s vulnerabilities and potential losses.
• They examined 11 power plants; performed checks on 12,000 miles (19,000 kilometers) of transmission lines; and assessed substations, hydroelectric facilities, warehouses and offices.
• Interviews with dozens of employees provided data on damage from past storms and previously installed retrofits. • We fine-tuned our loss-modeling software to accept from the engineering field studies and more accurately account for likely risks.
• Our team’s computed probable maximum loss fell within the insured limits for the modeled 250-year and 500-year events.