“Nothing is moving forward”: more than three months after the torrential rain which fell on Vannes on June 18, and which caused a flood in her business Rendezvous at the Port, Delphine Le Goc is still waiting for compensation from his insurer. “For the moment, an expert from my insurance and another from my landlord have come, but I am still waiting for reimbursement of my renovation costs and my operating loss.” However, the recent recognition of the state of natural disaster could speed up the process. “I don’t yet know what this recognition will change for me, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed! », continues the shopkeeper.
A new legal framework
Requested shortly after the night of the floods by the Vannes town hall, this recognition was validated by decree on September 23. “This is a first for the city, and we can congratulate ourselves on having taken these steps, which will perhaps allow certain victims to move forward in their efforts,” explains François Arz, deputy mayor in charge of public spaces and urban mobility. Because in fact, the recognition of a natural disaster activates a special compensation procedure: “In the event of events such as floods, this recognition allows victims to be compensated even if their insurance contract does not cover this risk specific,” says Jacques Ifergan, insurance expert for Omega Expert.
In addition, the legal framework is modified and the amount of the franchise capped. If this recognition can reshuffle the cards on the amount of support, it can also affect the delays following the date of submission of the publication of the natural disaster order.
Recall your insurance
However, it seems important to note that it is the responsibility of the victims to notify their insurer that the state of natural disaster has been recognized. And for those who have already been compensated by their insurance, it is possible to reopen a file: “If the insurance had rejected or limited the coverage in the absence of this recognition, the victim can ask their insurer to reassess the disaster under the natural disaster guarantee, respecting the deadlines of ten days after the publication of the decree to report the evolution of the context”, continues Jacques Ifergan.
For Delphine Le Goc, who was able to reopen ten days after the floods thanks to express drying, the consequences of this flood do not, however, stop at compensation from the insurer. In addition to the administrative complexities is added the stress of having water in your shop again: “It rained a lot a few days ago, I didn’t sleep all night! I’m waiting for a non-return valve to be installed on the toilet, where the water came three months ago. It’s very stressful! »
