Blizzards in France, floods in the U.K. and Germany, avalanches in the Alps – winter hit Europe particularly hard over the weekend. An unusually heavy snowfall in Northern France shut down the country’s main auto routes and briefly closed Charles De Gaulle airport on Saturday.
While the snowstorm moved on further East during the day, it was followed by freezing temperatures, causing icy conditions on roads throughout the northern part of the country. Authorities warned of the extreme hazards and urged people to stay at home.
In the U.K. authorities issued flood warnings following heavy rain in many regions, and the Association of British Insurers (ABI), which represents 97 percent of the companies writing coverage in the U.K., issued its own “Flood Advice” Bulletin.
In addition to taking common sense measures to keep in touch with developments, keep essential documents and phone numbers safe, and shut off gas, water and electricity in case of flooding, the ABI also indicated that flood victims should contact their insurers as soon as possible, as many of them offer emergency service help lines.
It repeated the commitment of the country’s insurers to continue flood coverage. Under a “Statement of Principles” that came into affect at the first of the year, “flood insurance will continue to be offered to flood-risk properties currently protected by the Government’s minimum defence standards, and to those properties where improvements to existing defences to bring them up to the minimum standards are planned to be completed by 2007. And where someone moves home, the existing insurer will continue to offer flood cover to the new purchaser.”
In the Alps ski resorts were overjoyed to receive up to two feet of new snow from the storms. However, after the recent warm spell authorities in many regions warned of the high risk of avalanches. France reported that three persons had fallen victim to the killer snow slides over the weekend, while two deaths from avalanches were reported in Switzerland.
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