February/March 2005

Following a massive undersea earthquake the morning of Dec. 26, 2004, a resulting tsunami devastated thousands of miles of coastal lowlands and islands from Indonesia to East Africa.

By the end of the day, 11 countries were lashed by the tsunami, leaving a rising death toll of more than 280,000 people and a great number still missing.

Shortly after the disaster, Matson, Driscoll and Damico sent three senior members of its Catastrophe Team to begin assessments of the damage, focusing on the Phuket area of Thailand.

“For the region, we found that the insurable risk areas were mainly in Thailand and The Maldives. Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, which appear to have been hit the hardest, were less heavily insured,” said Tom Wilson, director of MD&D’s CAT Team.

“Our involvement helps insurance companies move these claims forward as quickly as possible, and allows them to get back into business,” Wilson added.

For assistance in any claims resulting from the tsunami please contact Phillip Taylor, Director of MD&D’s Singapore office, on +65 63273785 or at ptaylor@mdd.com.