Is the rather harrowing Russian Ural Region meteorite impact
the very raison d’être for availing oneself of a good meteorite strike risk
insurance policy?
By: Ringo Bones
According to astronomers, the Friday, February 15, 2013
meteor streaking across Russia’s Ural Region that generated a powerful
shockwave that shattered windows that injured over 1,000 people and then sent
meteorite fragments crashing as far afield as neighboring Kazakhstan have
nothing to do with the 150-meter wide asteroid that came to Earth at only
one-tenth the distance to the Moon. The asteroid known as Asteroid 2012 DA14that
came within 28,000 kilometers of Earth and harmlessly grazing the orbits of geosynchronous
satellites. Even though it’s a miracle that nobody died, the Kremlin is now
sending a clean up crew to the region where the damage is now estimated to be
around 30-million US dollars. Even though the odds of any person being hit by a
former celestial body is around 1 in 150-trillion, should one avail himself or
herself a reasonably good meteorite strike risk insurance policy?
After seeing the news footage of the Russians lining up in
the hospital to be treated by the injuries caused by the flying glass resulting
from the strong shockwave of the meteorite strike which was estimated to be
five times more powerful than the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and
the resulting damage to buildings had me wondering if an insurance policy based
compensation scheme could be helpful in once-in-a-century calamities like
these. The Friday meteor streak was even caught in the region’s local traffic
cameras and security cameras. The last time a similar event occurred in the
region was the Tunguska, Siberia event back in 1908.
Even though meteorite strike risk insurance issued to
individuals may still be as rare as hen’s teeth, the larger 150-meter wide
asteroid could have damaged those multi-million dollar global positioning
satellites and internet-related telecommunications satellites beyond repair.
Making one wonder if the insurance coverage of those multi-million dollar
satellites includes being hit by a former celestial body?
