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Storm damage in Rhineland-Palatinate: Hardly fewer cars affected!
Rhineland-Palatinate is recording increasing storm damage to vehicles, while climate change is favoring extreme weather conditions.
Storm damage in Rhineland-Palatinate: Hardly fewer cars affected!
In 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate recorded a significant decrease in storm damage to vehicles. While 2023 still presented an alarming picture with around 29,000 reported damages and a loss total of around 107 million euros, in 2024 only around 6,500 vehicles were damaged by storms, hail and lightning strikes. The total damage this year was around 18 million euros, as the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) explained in its annual balance sheet. This shows a noticeable decrease of around 83 percent in reported damage compared to the previous year, emphasizes SWR.
However, the insurance industry warns against drawing incorrect conclusions from these figures. Despite the reduction in damage, climate change remains a decisive factor that promotes extreme weather phenomena. Experts agree that damage to vehicles caused by such weather conditions can hardly be avoided.
Global damage caused by natural disasters
The decline in storm damage in Rhineland-Palatinate contrasts with the global figures for 2024. Worldwide, damage from natural disasters amounted to over $320 billion, of which $140 billion was insured. This year represents the third costliest in terms of insured losses since 1980. Compared to historical averages, the 30-year average is significantly lower at $181 billion annually and the 10-year average is significantly lower at $236 billion annually, according to the ZDF.
North America was the hardest hit in 2024, with $190 billion in damages, mostly caused by hurricanes and a high number of tornadoes. The two hurricanes “Helene” and “Milton” alone caused damage totaling $94 billion. In Europe, damage in 2024 amounted to around $31 billion, of which $14 billion was insured.
Improved protective measures and reduction in fatalities
Despite the high amounts of damage, there is a positive development in the form of a decline in global deaths to 11,000 in 2024, which is below the average of recent years. This is partly due to the lack of large earthquakes like those in 2023, and improved disaster preparedness in many countries, particularly in East and Southeast Asia. However, rising temperatures and associated weather extremes are an ongoing problem that must be addressed both regionally and globally to minimize future damage.