Key Topics Flood Services Claims Management Ecclesia Group Insurance Policies Business & Property

Interview: Oliver Hirschel

After the warning apps reported heavy rain, some regions in southern Germany were flooded. Claims representative Oliver Hirschle was on the road in the affected area to assess the damage. In this interview, he explains what he found and how he was able to help the customer on the spot.

What was the situation like in the flooded area?

Fortunately, most of our customers only had minor damage, as the heavy rain only hit certain areas and not the whole region. But in some areas, such as Rudersberg, Schorndorf and Welzheim, some facilities were severely damaged. In some cases, the water reached the ceiling on the lower floor. Everything that was there can no longer be used, and in some cases this includes all the building services, such as the heating, control systems, water treatment systems and elevator technology. If the heating system was completely submerged in water, then the insurers have handled this very accommodatingly and offered the customer to procure a new heating system directly, without first hiring a company to repair it and obtaining offers. Such damage drives up the cost of the claim, because a new heating system costs around 25,000 to 35,000 euros, depending on the output.

What was the situation like for the customer?

The people on the ground were all very shaken. In our cases, the customers usually manage assets belonging to others. They work in a facility, church or nursing home and the property is not privately theirs. The situation would be different if a business owner or a private household with their own assets were affected.

But the people in charge are naturally keen to have the damage reimbursed and for everything to be managed professionally. Nevertheless, the incidents in June did not threaten their existence as they did three years ago in the Ahr Valley. Back then, entire buildings were swept away by the flood, and the people were robbed of their entire past. We did not have to deal with such extremes in these floods. Although some of the buildings are badly damaged, they are still standing and now need to be restored. In addition,

only the ground floor and basement were usually affected. On these floors, nursing homes and facilities for the disabled often have functional rooms. The residents usually live on the upper floor, which was not flooded. Due to this situation, there were no injuries or other personal injuries among our customers.

Was there any damage at a customer's premises that has to rebuild its facilities or its business completely from scratch?

We did not have a single building whose structure was so damaged that it had to be demolished and rebuilt. It is exclusively a matter of damage that needs to be repaired, but sometimes the repairs are extensive and cost hundreds of thousands. Even in the case of a large claim in the millions that a customer in the industrial sector has incurred, everything can be repaired.

What is particularly important to bear in mind when dealing with flood damage?

When it comes to flood damage, speed is of the essence. Immediate measures must be taken in good time – after the floodwaters have receded. The Ecclesia Group has an extensive network of partners and service companies. We were able to recommend cooperation partners to our customers who were available at short notice. In the event of such major damage, it can quickly happen that drying companies are no longer able to provide equipment because they are already working at full capacity. In this case, we were able to help all our customers. It should also be noted that a wet building and wet components quickly start to become moldy. However, this can be easily compensated for by drying quickly.

In addition, the customer should document the situation with photos. It is better to take a few photos too many than not enough. As part of the immediate measures, wet inventory and damaged objects should then be removed from the building.

Do customers have to wait for the claims adjuster to assess the damage before they can start with the immediate measures?

No, customers should not wait for us, but should start with the immediate measures. This is not damaging in any way. In fact, the customer is obliged to do so, because they have a duty to minimize damage. This means that if the customer has a meter of water in the building, for example, and waits for someone from the insurance company to arrive, this would of course not comply with the duty to minimize damage. So the customer should react immediately. My motto is always that customers should act as if they were not insured at all, then they won't do anything wrong.