Nearly 13,000 claims for damages due to the Limburg flood: Valkenburg hardest hit | Financial

It is not yet known how high the damage amount is. Earlier, the umbrella organization for Dutch insurers indicated that it probably concerns more than 100 million euros.

Measured by damage reports, Valkenburg aan de Geul is the municipality most affected. Nearly 3000 claims were received from insurers from the South Limburg town. There is also a lot of damage in Heerlen and Meerssen, the insurers report.

Most of the claims, over 9,000, came from private individuals and related to damage to the house or its contents. In addition, 2100 private individuals reported damage to their car. There were also 1,250 claims from entrepreneurs.

Most claims insured.

Most claims at private persons are insured according to the Dutch Association of Insurers. But there are also cases where sufficient cover has not been taken out for the damage. This may be the case, for example, with business policies.

“With entrepreneurs you have more customization. As a business customer, you can choose to take out a policy without cover for flood damage on your building insurance. The costs can then be lower,” explains a spokeswoman for the trade association. She points out that in some cases insurers have reimbursed entrepreneurs in Limburg more than they had to do.

Insurers also point out that damage resulting from a flooding of the Meuse is not insurable. If such a large river bursts its banks, the risk of insurance companies collapsing if they take on all the damage is too great. It is not immediately known whether reports of damage caused by Maaswater have been received by Dutch insurers. Damage to farmers’ crops is also not always insured.

The Dutch Association of Insurers would also like to talk to the government about ways in which major disasters such as floods can be insurable. It is expected that severe weather will lead to serious nuisance more often due to climate change.

The cabinet formally labeled the flood in Limburg as a disaster. This means that people with damage that is not covered by insurance can ask the central government for financial help. This is done through the Disaster Compensation Act, but the exact application has yet to be worked out.

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