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Insurer but also preventer. Faced with increasing climatic perils, MAIF wishes to develop another culture of risk among the general public. Particularly in the face of flooding. To do this, it has just added a new component to its online tool “Around the area”. Launched in 2022, this digital platform aggregates numerous open data as well as internal data. Freely accessible, for members or not, it aims to inform owners and future owners of services near a home as well as the risks incurred at this address.
It brings together a tool for calculating travel times according to the method chosen, a display of nearby amenities (shops, schools, etc.) and information concerning climate risks. Flooding, marine submersion, retreat of the coastline, swelling shrinkage of clays, technological risks, etc. are indicated. Climate risk acculturation quizzes are also offered. This Monday, October 14, 2024, via a strategic partnership with Mayane, the mutual insurance company is taking a further step towards a preventive approach specifically for floods by offering precise vulnerability diagnoses.
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Inform, raise awareness to prevent the risks of flooding
Mayane specializes in supporting territories facing flood risks and crisis management with local decision-makers. It has formed a partnership with MAIF in order to offer the service of its climate resilience experts to the insurer’s members. Emma Haziza, hydrologist and founder of Mayane, specifies: “Our goal is to support the general public, businesses and communities in raising awareness and managing these dangers which increasingly affect our daily lives. »
“Half of metropolitan residents are unaware of the risks to which their home is exposed”underlines Romain Liberge, marketing and design director of MAIF. Indeed, according to a study by the French Association for the Prevention of Natural and Technological Disasters (AFPCNT), 45% of French people do not know what risks their home is exposed to. This lack of awareness hinders the implementation of preventive measures, hence the importance of this initiative.
MAIF: a free diagnosis to precisely assess the risks and the measures to take
The partnership with Mayane includes a climate vulnerability diagnosis to assess the level of exposure to flood risks and the preventive measures to take. “When a member provides an address located in an area with a high risk of flooding, they are asked to check their eligibility for the Barnier Fund. He is then contacted by Mayane engineers who check the relevance of the diagnosis and the possibility of financing (the member must be located in the PAPI or PPRI* zone). If necessary, the diagnosis is carried out in order to identify the points of vulnerability of its habitat”explains MAIF.
In the event of non-eligibility for the Barnier Fund, the ecological dividend from MAIF can provide support to finance this diagnosis (the price of which can vary between 500 and 2,000 euros depending on the situation and the agreements made in the territories). In this case, to be entitled to it, it is necessary to be the owner-occupier of the home, to be exposed to flooding and to have had a MAIF housing contract for at least 5 years.
This financial support allows individuals and businesses to protect their property and avoid costly losses in the long term. “We must all work together to build a culture of risk that allows citizens to anticipate and react to these dangers”concludes Emma Haziza. And for insurers, the prevention aspect is proving increasingly strategic. With the enrichment of “Aux Alentours”, MAIF is not limited to a simple role as an insurer, it supports its members in acquiring a “risk culture”, crucial for the future.
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