Introducing The Epicenter

Introducing The Epicenter
Photo by Charlie Foster / Unsplash

Between 2000-2009, the U.S. averaged almost seven disasters per year that cost a billion dollars or more (per disaster). Twenty years later, in 2023, that number had spiked to 28 disasters every year, or one every other week.

What’s concerning is that these increasingly frequent climate events are not just the mega-storms like Hurricane Katrina (approximate cost: $200 billion). Today, even a 30-minute thunderstorm can cause over $1 billion in damage.

What’s going on? It’s a complex, nuanced challenge, and in the coming months we’ll unpack it in a new email newsletter. 

It involves climate change, population growth and migration, asset exposure, federal policy, private capital, systemic inequities, and the need to adapt our nation’s critical infrastructure.

One thing is clear: we’re entering an era where the cycles of destruction-to-reconstruction will only become more rapid. 

Storms will hit. Communities will rebuild. Storms will hit again. Communities will rebuild once more.

These rapid cycles of deconstruction-to-reconstruction present an opportunity to think differently about how we prevent costly destruction in the first place, incorporate resiliency into our infrastructure, and support communities in the rebuilding process.

The Resiliency Company

This is the work of The Resiliency Company. We mobilize the funding, innovation, and policies required to shift markets and minds toward resiliency. 

We define resiliency as the ability of infrastructure—the physical, economic, and social systems central to the functioning of an economy and a society—to withstand extreme climate impacts and recover from them quickly. Whether it’s new building codes, storm-resistant roofing, wildfire mitigation practices, or permeable pavement that reduces flood risk, there are opportunities everywhere.

The U.S. has spent over $2.7 trillion on the cumulative cost of disasters since 1980, and $1.1 trillion over the past 10 years alone. Trillions more will be spent rebuilding after disasters over the coming decades, unless we do something differently. While we might not be able to reduce the frequency of climate-driven hazards like heavy rainfall or extreme winds, we can make their destruction less costly and our infrastructure more resilient. 

We’re a new company with a long history. Our affiliate organization, Network for Good, is a donation platform that has helped finance disaster recovery since 2001. Network for Good has distributed over $5 billion in philanthropic funding, with a track record of funding after disasters. The Resiliency Company builds upon that legacy to unlock more durable capital to finance disaster resiliency.

The Epicenter: What You Can Expect

This newsletter, The Epicenter, is a biweekly briefing for those seeking to understand the trends and opportunities for resiliency, to reduce the impact and costs of climate-driven hazards.

Whether you’re an investor looking to understand how the cost and frequency of climate disasters will impact your existing portfolio and future investments, a researcher seeking to shape policy about how funding is allocated, or an operator of a business in this space, The Epicenter will keep you on the cutting edge.

For the next six months, we’ll dive into the drivers, economics, and opportunities for infrastructural resiliency for the main disasters – starting with Wildfires and Flooding. 

Each month we’ll profile a different disaster type, uncover insights and nuances from data, and highlight actionable solutions and opportunities.

How You Can Engage

As we kick off this new chapter as The Resiliency Company, we have two requests:

  1. As we ensure The Epicenter is responsive to the needs of the field, please let us know what you’re eager to hear about! Do you have ideas to share? Stories or opportunities we should highlight? 
  2. Please share The Epicenter with people in your network!

- Abby Ross, Maddie Vann, & The Resiliency Company team

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