HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10241995 - SD6 �J
To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra
FROM: •• / `\ .
Phil Batchelor, County Administrator
'3 Costa
x�.�_: .: • :o� County
DATE: October 24, 1995
SUBJECT: Earthquake Exposure and Insurance
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1 . ACKNOWLEDGE the risk of earthquake damage presents a serious loss
potential to the County.
2 . ACKNOWLEDGE the County presently purchases earthquake insurance
only on buildings which are required by bonds to have that insurance.
3 . ACKNOWLEDGE earthquake insurance has been difficult to obtain and
can be very expensive in a volatile earthquake insurance market with
restrictions on total insurance capacity.
4 . ACKNOWLEDGE that at this time earthquake insurance is more
available at a lower cost.
5 . AUTHORIZE County Risk Manager to purchase earthquake insurance
estimated to cost $450,000 on County buildings not presently covered with a
$50 million annual aggregate limit for losses and deductibles of 5 - 10
percent per building plus $5 million per occurrence.
BACKGROUND:
The recent fires at the courts, which were insured against fire loss,
show how devastating and costly property losses can be and the importance of
insurance protection.
With over 350 active earthquake faults in California, no area in the
State is immune from the potential of moderate to severe earthquake damage.
The risk of earthquake presents a serious loss potential to the County with
no building free from this major loss exposure.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _.X YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF 8 R COMMI EE ZT�, /
13
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S): ''//
ACTION OF BOARD ON d A 4
A 19 'JS APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED ✓ OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
UNANIMOUS(ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contact: Joseph. J. Tonda - 646-2014 02
CC: County Administrator ATTESTED cJ ' _
CAO Risk Management PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF HE BOARD OF
Auditor-Controller SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
General Services (Attn: T. Mann) ,
M382 (10/88)
BY DEPUTY
Costs resulting from significant earthquake damage include direct and
indirect losses :
Direct losses : Damage to buildings and contents .
Indirect losses: Often a larger part of* the total loss are the indirect
losses such as business interruption, extra expense, document
reconstruction, demolition and debris removal, and increased cost of
construction.
EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE:
At one time, when earthquake insurance was available at low cost, all
County buildings were insured against earthquake loss. But today, the County
only purchases earthquake insurance on buildings which are required by bonds
to have that insurance. Twenty percent of County building values ($96
million of $483 million) is presently covered by earthquake insurance. This
insurance, purchased through the CSAC Excess Insurance Authority Property
Insurance Program at an annual cost of $214,000, has a deductible of 5
percent replacement value per insured building with a $50 million annual
aggregate limit for earthquake losses, and this limit is shared with other
counties insured in the program. Reasons for the limited earthquake coverage
on County buildings at this time are the high cost of this insurance, a
volatile earthquake insurance market, reductions in insurance capacity (the
present $50 million of insurance coverage has eroded from a $175 million
annual aggregate limit in 1993) , and the possibility of FEMA relief ( federal
funds might be available if the earthquake is declared a national emergency) .
The County can insure the presently uninsured building values of $387
million at an annual cost of approximately $450,000 with a $50 million annual
aggregate limit for losses on those properties and deductibles of 5 - 10
percent per building plus $5 million per occurrence.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The annual premium cost to insure those buildings not presently covered
for earthquake loss is estimated to be $450,000 .
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION:
To protect the County from the catastrophic exposure resulting from an
earthquake, consideration should be given to obtaining earthquake insurance
on County buildings, and not just selected locations. It is recommended the
County purchase earthquake insurance estimated to cost $450,000 on all
buildings not presently covered with $50 million annual aggregate limit for
losses and deductibles of 5 - 10 percent per building plus $5 million per
occurrence.