The devastating hailstorm “Denis” caused much more damage on the edge of the Alps at the end of August than previously expected. The Bavarian Insurance Chamber has now increased its loss estimate by a third: “We previously assumed it would be up to 170 million euros, but now it is up to 230 million,” said Christian Krams, head of group claims at the Bavarian Insurance Chamber. “The destructiveness of this event was absolutely unique.”
The storm front passed over southern Upper Bavaria on the afternoon of August 26th, and the three towns of Bad Bayersoien, Benediktbeuern and Königsbrunn were hit and devastated by exceptionally strong hail.
According to Krams, the fact that the insurance chamber had to increase its loss estimate so much is not because there were a large number of further claims: “We are now at 17,500 claims; in our last report I said around 17,000 claims.”
The decisive factor is the large number of major losses. After roofs and windows were broken, hail and water entered many houses. “There was enormous damage to the outside and inside of the houses, and that means we have significantly higher damage averages,” said Krams. In some cases the hail even penetrated car panels – “we had never seen that before.”
The annals of the insurance chamber go back to 1811; according to the manager, the storm caused the second-largest damage in the company’s history. “The Munich hailstorm of 1984 is still in first place, but it was much larger and the city of Munich was also affected,” said Krams.