Modeling risks from natural hazards with generalized additive models for location, scale and shape.

We investigate a new framework for estimating the frequency and severity of losses associated with catastrophic risks such as bushfires, storms and floods. We explore generalized additive models for location, scale and shape (GAMLSS) for the quantification of regional risk factors - geographical, weather and climate variables - with the aim of better quantifying the frequency and severity of catastrophic losses from natural perils. Due to the flexibility of the GAMLSS approach, we find a superior fit to empirical loss data for the applied models in comparison to generalized linear regression models typically applied in the literature.