Mountain West Agency Services Names Kasper General Manager

Phoenix-based Mountain West Agency Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SCF Premier Insurance Co., named Donald L. Kasper general manager and Jim McErlean as marketing specialist.

Kasper has worked in the insurance industry since 1971, and has a proven record in startup, turnaround and business growth settings. Kasper has served in nearly every capacity, from underwriter to vice president, in companies in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. He is a licensed surplus lines broker in Arizona and a member of the Western States Surplus Lines Association and the Surplus Lines Association of Arizona.

McErlean has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, starting in the underwriting ranks. He has spent his career opening up branch and regional offices for workers' compensation companies and programs, overseeing the operations of loss control, claims, underwriting and premium audit. His experiences encompass the western United States and crosses over into general liability, excess/umbrella coverage and surplus lines.

CNA Names West Director of Business Development

Kevin West has been appointed director of business development for CNA. In this role, West will help shape and expand CNA's market presence and sales culture. He will be located in CNA's Woodland Hills, Calif., branch, and will support CNA operations from Los Angeles to San Diego.

West joined CNA in 2003 and has served in several sales capacities in the Business Insurance segment as well as Field Distribution Management. Prior to joining CNA, West worked with two other national carriers and a Los Angeles wholesale brokerage firm.

Quake Hits Eastern Turkey; 58 Reported Dead; RMS Analysis

March 8, 2010

An earthquake, initially measured at magnitude 6.0, struck eastern Turkey early this morning, March 8, centered in the Province of Elazig. A report from Risk Management Solutions indicates that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) placed the quake's "fixed focal depth of 6.2 miles (10 km) and an epicentral location close to the village of Basyurt, 340 miles (550 km) east of the Turkish capital, Ankara.

"The USGS 'ShakeMap' shows the area close to the epicenter to have experienced 'very strong' shaking of intensity VII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, where the potential for damage is moderate for resistant structures and moderate-to-heavy for vulnerable structures.

"The USGS estimates the population exposed to such shaking at 4,000. The eastern Turkey cities of Palu, Kovancilar and Karakocan (populations 11,000, 23,000 and 30, 000 respectively) experienced shaking of intensity VI on the MMI scale, where the potential for damage is light to moderate. A large proportion of the region of eastern Turkey experienced shaking of intensity III to IV."

The latest news reports have put the death toll at 58, but the figure is expected to rise, as rescue workers reach the scene. RMS noted that the Turkish "Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of the Prime Ministry has announced a total of 20 casualties in the villages of Okçular, Yukarı Kanatlı and Kayalı. Early detailed damage reports are still scarce, but describe damage to property in the small villages of Okçular, Yukarı Kanatlı and Kayalı, close to the epicenter."

In addition there have been "over 20 smaller aftershocks" since the original earthquake; according to the USGS the largest of these occurred at 07:47 UTC on Monday, 8 March, with a moment magnitude of 5.5."

As RMS stated, there are "a number of significant faults in Turkey, and as a result, the country is prone to frequent earthquakes. In 1999, more than 18,000 people were killed in two devastating earthquakes in the country."

Rising Rivers Flood Rural Australian Towns

Floods caused by heavy rains have cut off several townships in Australia's northeastern Queensland state and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, the state's premier said Sunday.

Premier Anna Bligh toured an affected community- St. George, a town of 2,800 people - where some residents evacuated to higher ground on Saturday, fearing a river would burst its levee.

"There's been major cuts to highways, we have seen railway lines washed away,'' Bligh said. "Without a doubt, this will be a damage bill in the hundreds of millions of dollars.''

Some 25 homes were flooded in St. George, but the town was spared further damage when the Balonne River peaked lower than expected overnight. But the river breached levees downstream, cutting off the townships of Thallon, Bollon and Dirranbandi in southwestern Queensland - the center of a major cotton-growing region.

Bligh said affected communities would be eligible for disaster funding.
Towns in the center of the state also flooded last week, as continuous rains overpowered drainage systems and caused rivers to overflow their banks.