September 2, 2008

In the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav's landfall on September 1 just west of New Orleans, storm damage is now being assessed throughout the affected coastal region with continuing concerns about flooding and ongoing disruption of business, particularly given power outages and mass evacuations.

While the extent of damage and losses will take several days to determine, affected businesses should begin to take stock not just of the physical damage to their operations in the area, but the impact of the closures and evacuations ordered by local government.

The Marsh Catastrophe Response Team (CAT) has been activated to assist clients with their claims and business recovery needs in the wake of Hurricane Gustav and remains on standby for the newest storm systems — Hanna, Ike and Josephine — headed toward the East Coast.

Our CAT Response Team comprises experts from our National Property Claims Practice and Marsh Risk Consulting (crisis management, business continuity, supply chain, property risk, work force strategies, forensic accounting, etc.) as well as from our sister companies Kroll (security and data recovery) and Mercer (health, benefits, and employee assistance).

We will be deploying colleagues to the area to support our clients' damage assessment, claim preparation, and business recovery needs.

If you require assistance in the wake of Hurricane Gustav or in preparation for future storms, please speak with your local Marsh representative or call our CAT Response Team hotline at 866-252-7492.