Most people believe that, when affected by a natural catastrophe, the government, autonomous community or local council are responsible for repairing the damage caused. This is not strictly the case, and there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled and organisations to appeal to, above all if the area as been declared catastrophic.

 

Wind, rain, hail or snow
When rain, snow or strong wind cause damage in your home and you have insurance coverage, you should be aware of the limits of the policy and which possible damage is excluded. If the damage has been caused by rain, it is normally established that, depending on the company, the rainfall must be above 40-45 litres per cubic metre for the damage to be covered. In the case of wind damage, the set speed is, depending on the company, usually 90-96 kilometres per hour. To find out the measurements, the insurance companies ask the local Meteorological Institute to provide a report which guarantees the correct levels. If the set levels are met, the damage is covered, if not, the owner is responsible for the damage caused.

 

However, normal meteorological phenomena, such as lightning striking your home, are indeed covered by nearly all house insurance policies.

 

Flooding, earthquakes and terrorist attacks
When your home suffers from a flood, an earthquake or a similar natural catastrophe, insurance companies can claim from the Insurance Compensation Consortium (Consorcio de Compensaci�n de Seguros). The Consortium is a national business entity, part of the Ministry of the Economy and one of its main functions is to pay the claims made by home owners as a result of damage caused by natural catastrophes, as long as the home owners have insurance. If you have no insurance, you have no right to claim from the Consortium because a part of the money you pay in your home insurance policy goes directly to the Consortium's coffers to cover precisely this eventuality.

 

If your home suffers damage as a result of a terrorist attack, the process is the same. The Consortium will pay off the damage caused to all the home owners with insurance. In all cases, your insurance company takes care of all the formalities of communicating the damage caused to the Consortium.

 

Catastrophic zone
The situation changes when an area is declared a catastrophic zone by the government. In this case, not only are the persons who have home insurance covered by the Consortium, but also those who lack an insurance. The Consortium has funds set aside to cover damage caused in these cases, which all the affected parties have a right to claim, whether they possess insurance or not. To make these claims, offices are usually set up in these areas to help calculate the damage.

 

The usual circumstance is that the public administration will very rarely declare an area to be catastrophic and these damages are often very late in arriving. To avoid these inconveniences, more and more people are adding a small amount to their policies to cover these eventualities.