Because of the continuing increase in disaster-related losses due to population growth and rapid urbanization in areas at risk, and the effect of these escalating losses on the insurance and reinsurance industries, there is a greater need for better knowledge about vulnerability of buildings; potential losses could then be better assessed. There is also a need for the insurance industry to encourage the application of disaster mitigation strategies.
A 1977 hurricane in the UK resulted in over £1 billion of claims for damages, the largest amount ever paid out for a single UK weather catastrophe.