Flooding led to most major damage in 2017

NESNA.The storm Ylva.Photo : Hans Petter Sørensen / NTB scanpix

Insurance companies’ payments’ showed that over half of last year’s natural damage was caused by flooding. It’s happening increasingly often.

 

In 2017, insurance companies paid out NOK 874.5 million in compensation after natural damage. More than half was caused by flooding. It’s happened three times since statistics began in 1980. In 1995, 2012, and 2014, showed an overview from Finans Norge and Norsk Naturskadepool.

The major  total since the 1980s has been due to storms, because three out of the four of all compensation kroners in the last 37 years have been paid out due to storms.

Last year, storms caused damage of NOK 236 million (27%) and avalanches NOK 150 million (17 %).

The most expensive event in 2017 was the flood that hit Rogaland and the Agder counties in the months of September and October.

Western Norway was hit by storms and heavy rainfall in July. It was particularly hard for Udvik in Sogn and Fjordane. The compensation for these events was estimated at around NOK 500 million.

Additionally, there were several storms at the end of the year. The storms in Ylva, Aina and Birk caused damage amounting to almost 200 million kroner.

Storm-flooding accounted for just under 3% of payments in total, and earthquakes for 0.06%.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today