650 million in storm damage to buildings.
The heavy thunderstorms and rainfall of recent weeks have also caused considerable damage in this country. Estimates as of July 27, 2021 from a total of 19 cantonal building insurers (KGV) put the total damage to buildings at around 650 million Swiss francs, with claims still being recorded.
Natural events can cause considerable damage and trigger a great deal of suffering. The storms of the summer months of June and July 2021 illustrate this. Although in Switzerland, in contrast to Germany or Belgium, the consequences of the storms were less severe, the 19 KGV alone incurred estimated building damage of 650 million Swiss francs, as the media office of the Association of Cantonal Building Insurers (VKG) writes. In 19 cantons (AG, AR, BE, BL, BS, FR, GL, GR, JU, LU, NE, NW, SG, SH, SO, TG, VD, ZG, ZH), KGVs cover, among other things, damage caused by hail, high water and flooding.
Automatically and comprehensively insured
In addition to fire, a building owner in a KGV canton is automatically insured against the natural hazards of flood, inundation, storm, hail, avalanches, snow pressure, rock fall, rockfall or landslide. The building owner thus enjoys comprehensive insurance protection at a favorable price, according to VKG. The amount of damage insured by the KGV is practically unlimited. This is a decisive advantage over other insurance systems. The KGV insurance cover is also fully guaranteed in the event of major incidents such as those of recent weeks.
Prevention shows effect
In addition to providing insurance coverage, the KGVs, as organizations under public law, also make a significant contribution to the prevention of natural disasters. On the one hand, modern, sustainable protective measures cost less than dealing with a major loss. On the other hand, investments in prevention would protect building owners from damage and many unpleasant upheavals. That is why it is particularly important to take natural hazards into account in new construction and renovation projects (see box below).
Lessons learned in 2005 and 2007
Protection against the threat of natural hazards was increasingly addressed after the major events of 2005, which caused total building damage of 880 million Swiss francs, and 2007, which caused damage of 415 million Swiss francs. According to the VKG, the many area protection measures taken by the public authorities, the property protection measures of the KGV, and also those of the homeowners have had an effect and have certainly reduced the burden of damage. However, natural hazards and the resulting damage can never be completely prevented. That is why the timely use of early warning systems such as the free weather alert app with specific behavioral and preventive tips is important. Thanks to further sustainably oriented protective measures, troublesome procedures in the event of potential damage can be avoided or at least reduced in the future, as the report concludes.
Source. VKG
Query hazard at my location
The hazard at the site can be attributed to www.schutz-vor-naturgefahren.ch can be queried. In addition to the latest hail hazard map, maps of other natural hazards such as flooding or surface runoff are also available, with corresponding protection recommendations. Damage due to surface runoff increased in recent years - like this summer.
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Those who build and renovate plan for natural hazards
