The country’s two largest insurance companies had a busy day on Sunday when thousands of people in Denmark called them to record injuries sustained during the visit of storm Malik, which raged from Saturday afternoon to Sunday lunchtime.
There are no reports of any deaths. The arrival of the storm was not unexpected and it had the courtesy to call on the weekend.
Still, it was not embarrassing: the speed of some of its gusts reached 40 meters per second in Hanstholm in northwestern Jutland. It is only 2 m / s left for a category 2 hurricane according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which tends to cause extensive damage.
The postcodes 7000 to 9000 in North and Central Jutland have been hardest hit, the insurance companies confirm.
Not as bad as feared
Yesterday, Topdanmark received 250-300 damage reports per hour, sometimes during Sunday.
Tryg has meanwhile confirmed at least 1,300 allegations. Raised trampolines, fences and trees smashing into buildings were among the typical allegations.
Nevertheless, according to Troels Klarsskov, spokesman for Topdanmark, the damage is not as extensive as feared, although there will still be a backlog in dealing with all the damage.
The insurance companies usually receive two thirds of all the damage in the first three days after a storm, Klarsskov tells DR.
“The ones that come the first few days are typically the biggest, most serious and the ones that are expensive to repair,” he added.
Water damage too
Water damage is also likely, as the storm has pushed water all over Denmark: often from the sea into fjords, which can cause floods in coastal areas.
Water damage can often surprise homeowners, but there is help for them without insurance.
They are encouraged to contact the Storm Flood Scheme, as money from the tax paid by fire insurance is set aside each year.
Eligibility is dependent on the Stormrรฅdet storm council, DMI’s weather report and the Coastal Directorate agreeing that there was a storm surge in your area.
The storm area has compiled a list of other eligibility criteria on its website.
Source: The Nordic Page