Heavy rainfall causes flooding. - In favor of mandatory insurance for natural hazards: Willingmann.
The Saxony-Anhalt Environment Minister, Armin Willingmann, seized the recent heavy rain and flooding in southern Germany as a chance to call for a mandatory insurance against natural disasters once more. "From Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg now, to Saarland a few weeks ago, and likely in Saxony-Anhalt by the year's end: Storms and floods are increasingly common in Germany and causing severe damage that jeopardizes existence," remarked the SPD politician on Thursday. "If we hope to avoid the federal government and states from repeatedly managing natural disasters - possibly more frequently - we must push for the implementation of a mutual mandatory insurance against natural disasters."
Willingmann intends to include the compulsory insurance on the agenda of the Environmental Ministers' Conference on Friday in Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. "We've been discussing this topic for over two years. Following resolutions from the Environmental Ministers' Conference, the Conference of Minister Presidents, and the Bundesrat, there was room for a lengthy discussion," added the state minister.
The Environment Ministry cited February 2024 statements from the German Insurers Association, warning that around 9,000 addresses in Saxony-Anhalt face flood hazards. The insurance premium against natural disasters in Saxony-Anhalt, along with the federal government, has been set at 50% for quite some time. Insuring oneself voluntarily against natural disasters can be challenging, especially in high-risk areas.
