Earthquake Forum Assesses America's Readiness for Major Earthquake and Outlines Roadmap to Increasing Preparedness

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
The Seismic Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum concluded in San Francisco
this week after two full days of panel discussions on a wide range of
topics relating to America's readiness to withstand a major earthquake.
Elected leaders, leading scientists and emergency managers discussed
emerging technologies that can make buildings more earthquake resistant.
They also highlighted needed public policy changes that would spur
greater investment in earthquake mitigation.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan jointly opened
the Forum, praising the more than 300 gathered delegates for their
commitment to bolstering America's readiness for a major earthquake. The
two spoke of their commitment to ensuring that vulnerable populations are
not overlooked in earthquake preparedness and response.

Stephen Weinstein, Chairman of the Risk Sciences Foundation of
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., (NYSE: RNR), the lead event sponsor,
acknowledged the important contribution of the two Bay area mayors and
FEMA's Region IX Director Nancy Ward, who also spoke at the Forum.

"We extend our sincere thanks to Mayors Lee and Quan and Director Ward,
as well as all of the speakers, panelists and delegates for contributing
to a resoundingly successful forum," said Weinstein. "We look forward to
collaborating with the wide range of stakeholders that joined us in San
Francisco in our ongoing effort to enhance the preparedness and
resiliency of quake exposed regions."

Craig Tillman, President of WeatherPredict Consulting, Inc., a Forum
co-sponsor, called the gathering an important opportunity to better
understand the wide ranging impact of earthquake hazards. "The
conversation started in San Francisco will certainly continue based on
the strong appetite for collaboration from our delegates," said Tillman.
"We also leave San Francisco with a strong collective sense that
scientifically sound, strategic investments in mitigation need to be
ramped up considerably in California and elsewhere in America. We only
need to look overseas at the recent earthquake experience in Haiti,
Chile, New Zealand and Japan to understand the significant benefits of
that investment."

"Our role at FLASH is to provide families and individuals with sound,
actionable ideas they can use to protect themselves and their homes from
the damage caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes," said Leslie
C. Henderson, President and CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes
(FLASH), a leading non-profit organization devoted to disaster safety
education. "We are honored to help lead the Seismic Risk Leadership
Forum, and look forward to sharing all we've learned with homeowners
across the country."

"It is essential that the best minds and the most current technology be
applied to building or retrofitting resilient homes, businesses and
communities," said Julie Rochman, President of the Insurance Institute
for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), another event co-sponsor. "There is
no excuse not to provide better protection for earthquake-exposed
populations, including the members of our communities who are most
vulnerable, physically and financially."

San Francisco Bay-area co-sponsors of the Forum included the Earthquake
Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the Pacific Earthquake
Engineering Research Center (PEER). Tom Tobin, President of EERI,
highlighted recent advances in innovative techniques that are improving
earthquake retrofitting and mitigation practices. "We have tools to
improve public safety and make our communities socially and economically
more resilient to earthquakes," said Tobin.

Stephen Mahin, Director of PEER, joined a panel that provided an update
on the recent Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. "It is clear from the recent
damage observed in Japan, as well as in Chile and New Zealand, that we
have come a long way in developing technologies capable of achieving
seismic safety in new construction," said Mahin. "More needs to be done
to insure that these technologies are implemented in all regions
vulnerable to earthquakes. We need to reduce risk associated with our
stock of existing buildings, and construct new structures that are not
just safe, but are resilient and can be restored to service in a short
time."

The proceedings of the Seismic Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum will be
available at www.mitigationleadership.com. This week's Forum was the
sixth in the series of Risk Mitigation Leadership Forums and the first
that addressed seismic risks.

CONTACT:
Eric Cote
(401) 294-4444, ext. 202
(401) 374-8500 cell

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