It’s been a tough six weeks or so for insurers as a steady stream of wintry and wet weather, with some mini-tornadoes thrown in, has affected the UK.
UPDATED 09.01.2024
Government offers cash for homeowners affected by floods. The UK government has an emergency support scheme in place now with up to £500 available for immediate expenses caused by flooding, for homes and businesses. Bigger businesses can get relief from paying business rates for three months too.
WARWICKSHIRE
Extensive flooding in areas surrounding the rivers Severn, Trent, Dee (Wales/England), Thames, Ouse and many more all breaking their banks in some places. Warwickshire is one county affected quite badly and yesterday the Police published this update;
“Over the last 24 hours Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service have received 82 emergency calls for assistance. This included calls for assistance with flooding, people trapped in their vehicles after driving through flood water and calls to rescue people trapped in their homes by flood water.
Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum Co-Chair and Chief Fire Officer at Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Ben Brook, said:
“Flooding remains a very real issue in Warwickshire and whilst the rain has stopped not all water levels have peaked, which means that residents need to do everything they can to keep themselves and each other safe. This means not driving through flood water, particularly when it’s close to homes already at risk of flooding as the wave effect will cause the water to rise.
“Partners are continuing to work together as part of Warwickshire Local Resilience Forum as the county remains in the emergency phase of keeping communities safe. As the weather improves and water levels reduce, partners will then move into the recovery phase of clearing up the damage and debris caused by the floods.”
If you have been flooded, please be mindful of rogue traders when looking for assistance to clear out any debris or damaged furniture. Please talk to your insurer about what to do with any flood damaged items before anything is removed from your property. Flooding advice and information can be found here National Flood Forum – A charity to help, support and represent people at risk of flooding. And here Cleaning up your property after a flood – Floodguidance.co.uk
UPTON UPON SEVERN
The flood defence scheme, (pic above from Geograph) built to protect Upton-Upon-Severn from flooding every winter over a decade ago, has been successful so far. However other areas near the River Severn in Worcestershire are on flood alert today (Friday). Local media reported recently that the Severn was recorded rising by 5 metres over its normal levels near Barbourne.
YORK
The River Ouse was already high (pic above DS Pugh/Geograph) in late December after three weeks of steady rainfall. The latest local advice from the UK Gov website is that residents in York need to be cautious but levels are slowly falling;
“River levels at the York Viking Recorder on the River Ouse are falling slowly but remain high due to recent rainfall associated with Storm Henk. Areas most at risk include riverside footpaths and low-lying land in York and to the south as far as Naburn Lock, including King’s Staith, Queen’s Staith and South Esplanade. Levels are expected to remain high for the next few days but to continue falling.”
BATH
The Claverton Pumping Station (pic above courtesy Claverton Pumping Station on X) is a historic 19th century building located on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and maintained by volunteers. The ground floor of the building is currently underwater and there is some water on the second floor near the beam engine – which still works by the way, even though it’s 200 years old.
WALES
Kiln Park near Tenby was badly hit by floods this week, as local media reported. Generally static caravan owners are not staying in their homes in winter, as sites usually close in November. Static vans unattended are obviously vulnerable to more damage if not inspected and cleaned/repaired fairly quickly.
Karen Stacey, Managing Director of specialist caravan insurer, Compass said: “The first storm of 2024, Storm Henk, has caused significant flood damage to holiday caravans across the UK. Our stats show that storm and flood damage make up 32% of insurance claims, and in one such instance, an entire static caravan was destroyed during a storm, resulting in a £148,590 claim.“In flood-prone areas, holiday home owners may need to check that their policy does not have flood-related restrictions or requirements, such as fitting a floatation device. While floods cannot be predicted or prevented entirely, having a comprehensive insurance policy in place can help avoid being left out of pocket should the worst happen”.
GOVERNMENT AND INSURANCE RESPONSE
You can check if there are flood warnings for your area using this government page, just enter your postcode for a 5 day warning.
The ABI has already posted advice for property owners on their website a week ago.
Meanwhile the BBC reports that some insurers has assessors out within hours of the mini tornado affecting houses in anad around Stalybridge, near Manchester. Joyce Bromley told the BBC;
“We’ve got our own insurance on some of the outside buildings and our insurance company have been fabulous with us. We phoned them at eight o’clock that morning. They had somebody here at 10:00 and they agreed to replace the buildings at 11:00.”
BIBA, the UK broker association, also has a handy advice page for property owners who need to make a claim after flood damage.
INDUSTRY COMMENT
Patrick Hayward, Senior Consultant and Claims Lead at Altus Consulting, says:
“Homeowners will look to claim on their insurance if their property is damaged by Storm Henk. But at the moment, it is very difficult for insurers to absorb any of the impact of damages caused by extreme weather, as they are already grappling with challenging loss ratios, following persistent and sustained cost inflation in property claims.
As a result, extreme weather events such as Storm Henk do inevitably affect insurance premiums, causing them to rise. This is an issue in particular for people who are most likely to be impacted by extreme weather – such as those with properties in coastal areas.
Insurers are making efforts to address this problem, however: the majority are signed up to the Flood Re Build Back Better scheme, under which home insurers fund home repairs which focus specifically on improving future resilience to storms, rather than reinstating the same vulnerabilities and inviting history to repeat itself.”
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