October 05, 2025

Hurricanes and climate change: are we ready for a Cat 6? (375)

20 minutes

What would happen if the next hurricane wasn’t just stronger but completely off the scale? Are we prepared for a Category 6 event, and would it even show up in our models?

In this panel discussion from InsTech’s July evening event The future of catastrophe risk: where science meets reality, supported by Inigo, Ruth Petrie leads a conversation on how insurers are responding to more extreme, uncertain and fast-changing catastrophe risks.

Featuring:

Emma Watkins, Catastrophe Risk Leader

Chris Weller, Head of Exposure Management, Inigo

Tom Philp, CEO, Maximum Information

Together, they challenge the assumptions behind traditional catastrophe modelling, explore the limits of the Saffir-Simpson scale and ask whether imagination, not just data, will define the future of risk management.

In this conversation, the panel explores:

Whether the industry should move beyond Cat 5 and how we define “extreme” risk

Why flood, surge and rainfall are often more damaging than wind alone

How climate change is altering where and how storms form — and what we can predict

What insurers can (and can’t) do in the face of rapid intensification

Why demand surge, rebuild costs and politics are now central to loss estimation

What kind of event would truly “shake” the insurance market — and why

This is essential listening for exposure managers, underwriters, brokers and risk leaders looking to challenge conventional thinking and prepare for what’s next.

If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.

Continuing Professional Development

This InsTech Podcast Episode is accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII). By listening, you can claim up to 0.5 hours towards your CPD scheme.

By the end of this podcast, you should be able to meet the following Learning Objectives:

Identify where insurers remain unprepared for rapid intensification and other emerging storm behaviours.

Produce a more complete view of catastrophe exposure by integrating hazard, vulnerability and socio-economic factors.

Summarise the panel’s recommendations for improving risk communication, preparedness and resilience across the industry.

If your organisation is a member of InsTech and you would like to receive a quarterly summary of the CPD hours you have earned, visit the Episode 375 page of the InsTech website or email [email protected] to let us know you have listened to this podcast.

To help us measure the impact of the learning, we would be grateful if you would take a minute to complete a quick feedback survey.

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