Time to take stock. Cyclone Belal, which swept through Reunion Island on January 15, caused 100 million euros in damage according to a review unveiled this Tuesday by France Assureurs. Its cost is estimated at 82 million for individuals, 14 million for professionals and 4 million for the vehicle fleet. Belal, which caused the death of four people, has also “caused a total of 42,100 claims”, indicates the professional federation while affirming that insurers are “fully mobilized alongside their policyholders”.
With wind gusts of more than 250 km/h, the cyclone caused “intense precipitation causing flooding of numerous rivers and strong swells”, specifies France insurers.
The second most expensive after Dina
The damage, ultimately less catastrophic than what the population and the authorities feared, was mainly recorded in the north and east of the department. “The damage […] are covered under damage insurance contracts,” assures the president of the federation Florence Lustman.
These estimates make Belal the second costliest cyclone in Reunion, after Dina in 2002 and its 169 million euros in damage.