Insurance claims mount after floods

THE costs of last week’s flooding in Windhoek, which left some parts of the capital devastated, are mounting, with insurance assessors and a city official suggesting they would run into hundreds of thousands.

“I think costs will shoot up in coming days,” said one insurance official contacted by phone yesterday. Most insurance companies would only get to work on assessing the latest damage today, he added.”I have seen three households and four businesses with flood damage … total costs [for the businesses] are between N$80 000 and N$90 000, while the households are about N$60 000,” Johan Liebenberg, an independent insurance assessor, said last week.Another assessor for a major insurance company said on Friday he had seen claims worth a total of about N$50 000.Yet another assessor said that claims he had seen so far averaged between N$8 000 and N$10 000.”But I expect biggest claims will start to come in next week (this week),” he added.Some businesses in the southern industrial area, for example, were still cleaning up flood damage, and will only be able to estimate costs after that, he said.Werner Wiese of the Speedy Exhaust Centre in the southern industrial area, which was flooded, said on Thursday repairs would cost “several thousands”.”Machines and electrical equipment are damaged, and we will have to close for two days to clean the place up,” he said.Supermarkets, auto businesses, factories, welfare organisations and game lodges had been among those affected by floods, insurance sources said.Johan Kriel, the Municipality’s Chief Engineer: Roads and Storm Water, told The Namibian on Friday that the cost of the clean up would be “in the order of N$200 000”.But he emphasised this was only an estimate, as the clean-up would go on for several days, and it was not easy to determine costs exactly.The Municipality had a budget for “clean up during rain time” of about N$3 million a year, Kriel said.The clean-up of one badly-affected street, Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue, would cost between N$20 000 and N$30 000, Kriel said.Yesterday, Municipal spokesperson Sheifert Shigwedha said the City could not release any figures on Friday’s flooding as they were still assessing the damage.- * Additional reporting by Desiree ChristelisMost insurance companies would only get to work on assessing the latest damage today, he added. “I have seen three households and four businesses with flood damage … total costs [for the businesses] are between N$80 000 and N$90 000, while the households are about N$60 000,” Johan Liebenberg, an independent insurance assessor, said last week. Another assessor for a major insurance company said on Friday he had seen claims worth a total of about N$50 000. Yet another assessor said that claims he had seen so far averaged between N$8 000 and N$10 000. “But I expect biggest claims will start to come in next week (this week),” he added. Some businesses in the southern industrial area, for example, were still cleaning up flood damage, and will only be able to estimate costs after that, he said. Werner Wiese of the Speedy Exhaust Centre in the southern industrial area, which was flooded, said on Thursday repairs would cost “several thousands”. “Machines and electrical equipment are damaged, and we will have to close for two days to clean the place up,” he said. Supermarkets, auto businesses, factories, welfare organisations and game lodges had been among those affected by floods, insurance sources said. Johan Kriel, the Municipality’s Chief Engineer: Roads and Storm Water, told The Namibian on Friday that the cost of the clean up would be “in the order of N$200 000”. But he emphasised this was only an estimate, as the clean-up would go on for several days, and it was not easy to determine costs exactly. The Municipality had a budget for “clean up during rain time” of about N$3 million a year, Kriel said. The clean-up of one badly-affected street, Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue, would cost between N$20 000 and N$30 000, Kriel said. Yesterday, Municipal spokesperson Sheifert Shigwedha said the City could not release any figures on Friday’s flooding as they were still assessing the damage.- * Additional reporting by Desiree Christelis