France forecasts €1.4Bn in flood insurance costs
10th June 2016
The AFA, Association Française de l’assurance, expects to receive up to 150,000 insurance claims totalling up to €1.4 billion.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, yesterday praised the French authorities for the country’s disaster preparedness and on-going response efforts in the face of the flood threat in Paris and other parts of the country.
Mr. Glasser who heads the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, said:
“There are lessons to be learned but France’s management of this flood threat has been exemplary and includes the 11-day Sequana exercise carried out in March which prepared for just such an eventuality and mobilised all key institutions and stakeholders in a text book display of how to strengthen resilience across institutions while raising public awareness.
“Floods already affect more people than any other natural hazard so addressing the threat is basic to reducing the humanitarian burden from disasters. Flooding across Europe and other parts of the world is set to increase with climate change and increasing weather variability.
“Over the last week or more, France has given us a clear demonstration of what a whole-of-society approach to disaster risk reduction means in reality.”
Operation Sequana was carried out from the 7th to the 18th March 2016 in order to allow the police and public services to better anticipate the damage caused by flooding and to fully assess the systems and responses that were currently in place.
The French Government have set up of an emergency fund to help victims of the floods by providing immediate help for dealing with basic necessities. They will also ensure that all compensation mechanisms are triggered as soon as possible. The Prime Minister also said that a state of natural disaster will be recognized from the Council of Ministers meeting on 08 June for all affected municipalities.
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