06 June 2007


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Insurance claims “relatively low” after freak rainstorm

Charlot Zahra

The amount of insurance claims for damages following Monday’s rainstorm was “relatively low”, Malta Insurance Association (MIA) director-general Anton Felice told BusinessToday yesterday evening.
“After the general flooding that soaked the Maltese islands on Monday, the Malta Insurance Association expected insurers to be inundated by claims for damages.
“However, the initial indications are that there have been few significant claims to private and commercial customers, and the number of flood-related claims is, until now, relatively low,” said Dr Felice.
Dr Felice said on Monday the MIA feared a repeat of September 2003. “After the merciless storm of the 15th September 2003, insurers paid almost Lm4.5 million in damage claims. The devastation that followed that storm is still a vivid nightmare.
“More so to the many who were uninsured, since 50 per cent of all businesses do not hold any form of insurance protection, whilst only one-fourth of all households are insured,” he said.
However insurers and on the alert for further episodes of freak heavy rainfall, defining them as “bad news”.

A study commissioned last year by the MIA on the relation between climate change and Malta’s vulnerability to its effects highlights the needs of precautionary measures to extreme freak weather behaviour of which we are to expect more as an unavoidable consequence of global climate change. .
“The Association believes that better flood management solutions would greatly reduce the risks of reliving that memory. Initiatives to alleviate the now historic flooding typical to areas such as Qormi, Marsa, Birkirkara and Msida whenever it rains should be stepped-up so as to protect people, homes and businesses from further risks,” Dr Felice told BusinessToday.
The MET office registered 60 mm of rainfall on Monday, making it the highest- ever rainfall since records started being taken in 1922. The previous record was 28.2 mm in 1968. Average rainfall in June is 0.8mm.
The Civil Protection Department had to rescue many people from their cars after they got stuck in the rain or were caught in the strong currents. Many homes were flooded as well, but nobody was injured.
Monday’s heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were caused due to an upper-level low pressure system over the central Mediterranean bringing relatively cool air over a warm sea, creating a great deal of instability with lots of clouds and heavy rain showers and thunderstorms.



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