“insurance is completely blocking us”, some victims are still at a standstill

The floods of October 17, in the hamlet of Fabriques de Saint-Paul en Jarez, washed away a large part of the banks. Despite the recognition of the state of natural disaster, some residents are fighting with their insurance to obtain compensation.

To access his house, in the hamlet of Fabriques in Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, Damien Schellekens must now climb over low walls. On October 17, part of the banks of the Dorlay was washed away by the flood.

Consequence: the banks are made impassable to vehicles. Damien can no longer take out his car and his large equipment, nor use the road that connects his home and his business.

And this road is clearly not about to be restored: Damien Schellekens is struggling to obtain compensation from his insurance and has no immediate solution.

“Insurance is blocking us completely. I need to get quotes. To make the estimate, I must have funds released because a study must be done beforehand, because the company does not want to make a quote if we do not have a study. And a study is… 30 000 € so we wait“.

He hired an insurance adjuster to “make things happen“. Because he fears losing his house if the situation deteriorates further.

The mayor of the town is also in contact with the insurers… without response. The state of natural disaster has indeed been decreed in the commune, but it does not apply to this situation, specifies the councilor: “If it had been in the public domain, it would not have posed a problem: it is the community that pays. Except that, here, they are private people. It is difficult for us to replace the private sector. On the insurance side, I find it a diabolical situation. They pass the buck” deplores Kamel Bouchou, the Mayor of the village.

After almost a month of waiting, no one knows when life will be able to return to normal. The question of the maintenance of the banks and the causes of the damage is raised, but remains unanswered for the moment.

Tags France