the heavy toll of the victims

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More than a year later, the residents of Rive-de-Gier, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, still have the floods on their minds. In October 2024, torrents of water and mud left considerable damage in the town. Episodes like this are multiplying everywhere and this is driving up the price of insurance. In the town, former disaster victims have noticed this.

“It’s annoying but there’s no choice. We have to. I got flooded too. Fortunately I had insurance, a good one in fact. It never reimburses enough anyway”, deplores a local resident. A situation understood but suffered for another resident: “I can understand it, except that it’s not fair for the residents. We don’t choose the climatic hazards.”

The natural disaster surcharge, that is to say the additional amount to be paid in the event of high risk, has jumped in two years, going from 25 euros to 42 euros on average each year. Furthermore, in the event of damage linked to drought such as cracks in houses, the deductible remaining the responsibility of the insured has exploded, going from 380 euros to 1,520 euros.

But the increase in insurance concerns all French people, because the increase in natural disasters in recent years has caused the price of insurance to explode: +12% this year. To maintain the balance of the system based on solidarity, these increases are essential. Olivier Moustacakis, Managing Director ofAssurland.comexplain : “The loss ratio, the frequency of claims and the cost of construction, the cost of materials that go up in flames, but really, the equation is not in favor of the policyholders, it costs more and more in terms of compensation.”

Over the last four years, the cost of climate disasters in France has reached an average of 6 billion euros per year.