Newswise — Indiana State University faculty experts are available to comment on a variety of hurricane-related issues:
Insurance: Hurricane Katrina may be the costliest natural disaster yet in terms of insured losses. William Warfel, professor of insurance and risk management, expects "some interesting coverage issues" in the wake of the category 4 hurricane, particular with respect to flooding, which homeowners insurance does not generally cover. Warfel's areas of research include natural disasters and the disruption in property insurance markets and price and availability issues in insurance markets.
Economy: Robert Guell, associate professor of economics, has studied how war and weather affect oil and gas prices. Guell is the author of "Issues and Economics Today," a college textbook.
Rebuilding: Donald "Bo" McNabb, instructor, manufacturing and construction technology, is a member of the National Home Builders Association and Associated General Contractors of America. Can building lost in Hurricane Katrina be replaced with structures that can withstand a Category 4 hurricane? His areas of expertise include building codes and regulations, residential home building and architectural and construction technology.
Medical, public health: Health care in the Gulf Coast region will continue to be under stress during the clean-up and rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. Mary Bennett, assistant dean and associate professor in the ISU College of Nursing, is a member of the Army Nurse Corps and is a member of the Indiana State Nurses Association. She is a family nurse practioner at the Center for Occupational Health and at St. Ann's free clinic for the indigent in Terre Haute, IN. Her research includes the effect of laughter on stress and immune function.
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