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At Least 134 Reports of Damage to Homes and Buildings After Extreme Weather Last Weekend
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Energy & Infrastructure

At Least 134 Reports of Damage to Homes and Buildings After Extreme Weather Last Weekend

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Extreme weather across the Netherlands last weekend resulted in 134 damage reports to homes and buildings.
  • The reports included damage from lightning strikes, fires, storms, and water.
  • Insurers are facing increasing costs due to more frequent and extreme weather events linked to climate change.

The Netherlands experienced significant damage to homes and buildings over the past weekend due to extreme weather, leading to an "exceptionally busy" period for Stichting Salvage, an organization that provides first aid for calamities on behalf of insurers.

A total of 134 damage reports were filed on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Verbond van Verzekeraars (Association of Insurers). The extreme weather, which included fallen trees, flooding, and lightning strikes, caused damage nationwide. Saturday saw 47 reports, while Sunday had 87. The organization noted that only New Year's Day and February 18, 2022, after Storm Eunice, saw more daily reports.

Specific incidents included 43 reports of lightning strikes, 39 of fires, eight due to storms, and 43 for water damage. One report concerned collision damage. The majority of these reports originated from the Amsterdam region. The total insured damage is still being calculated, but the trend of increasing costs due to extreme weather is clear.

There is an acceleration, and if it continues, we will go up very steeply.

— Petra HielkemaPetra Hielkema, Dutch chair of the European insurance supervisor EIOPA, commenting on the trend of increasing weather-related damage costs.

In 2025, extreme weather events cost insurers over 155 million euros, with 50 million euros attributed to hail damage to cars and homes. Large hailstones, some as big as golf balls, caused cracked car and greenhouse windows over the weekend in Hilversum and Zeeland. Experts link the increasing frequency and intensity of weather events like windstorms and lightning to climate change, making it harder for insurers to predict future costs.

"There is an acceleration, and if it continues, we will go up very steeply," stated Petra Hielkema, the Dutch chair of the European insurance supervisor EIOPA, in late 2024. Insurers are reportedly not prepared for such increases. The Dutch Association of Insurers emphasizes the importance of preventive measures and climate-resilient construction. "Climate-adaptive building and investing in prevention help to limit damage, even if extreme weather occurs more frequently," said Richard Weurding, general director of the association.

Climate-adaptive building and investing in prevention help to limit damage, even if extreme weather occurs more frequently.

— Richard WeurdingRichard Weurding, general director of the Verbond van Verzekeraars, advocating for preventive measures against extreme weather.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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