Fairly average: 4.3 billion euros in damages caused by natural disasters – cash.

“After the flood disaster in 2021, the past year was again a year of medium natural danger: with many insurance claims, but without such an extreme event as the Bernd flash flood,” says Jörg Asmussen, Managing Director of the German Insurance Association. “Damage to homes, household goods, businesses and motor vehicles in 2022 is only marginally higher than the long-term average of €4.2 billion”.

The heaviest damages were caused by hurricanes Ylenia, Zeynep, Antonia in February. “With a total of 1.4 billion, the storm streak is the third most severe winter storm since 2002,” says Asmussen. The hurricanes caused €1.25 billion in damage to homes, appliances and businesses, as well as around 65,000 damage to motor vehicles for a total of €125 million.

“Climate change prevention and adaptation are at the core”

Overall, in 2022 property insurers will pay three billion euros for damages caused by storms and hail and another 400 million euros for damages caused by other natural hazards such as flooding caused by heavy rains or high water. In motor insurance, it was slightly below the long-term average of €1 billion last year, with an estimated 335,000 claims due to natural events for a total of €900 million.

At 12.6 billion euros, 2021 is the most expensive natural hazard year for insurers since the statistics began in the 1970s. The devastating flood disaster in July 2021 alone caused damage of 8.5 billion euros, especially in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. “Even if there were no extreme rainfall events last year: prevention and adaptation to the consequences of climate change are the focus so that the costs of natural disasters and thus also the insurance premiums do not get out of hand in the future “Asmussen says. “We insurers appeal to politicians to make it the focus of their considerations.”