‘Insurance companies will go through claims with a fine tooth comb’

With rumblings of insurance companies playing hardball, the situation in Cork City and county is as follows:

* BANDON: A number of businesses were refused flood cover on their policies while others were hit with a €5,000 excess condition on their claims since the 2009 Cork floods.

Town councillor Gillian Coughlan said it was highly worrying businesses and private residences, that qualify for flood cover, can only receive it at a hugely inflated premium.

“The first €5,000 excess means people are not really insured at all. It is impossible for people at this time to come up with such a sum of money when a disaster like a flood strikes.

“Businesses and homes are all suffering from the insurance price hikes. It is just a step too far.”

* BLACKPOOL: Cllr Kenneth O’Flynn said following the latest episode of flooding, businesses and residences are struggling to afford cover.

“After the incidents in the past few years, companies will be going through claims with a fine tooth comb now to see what is and isn’t covered.

“We have been hearing stories of people in Farranree and Gurranabraher being refused cover”

Jer Buckley’s Centra store on Thomas Davis St was one business hit by the flood.

“My insurance is up for renewal in September. Would you insure me? There is no problem getting insurance but would you insure me for the local authority’s negligence? It’s the second time in 10 years we have been flooded. Something is very, very wrong here” he said.

* CLONAKILTY: As the area has been hit by flooding in recent years, a number of property and business owners were unable to get cover.

In other cases, people who were insured have been told they will not receive cover in the future.

Town Mayor Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin said, starting from next week the council, along with the chamber of commerce, would be going door-to-door with a questionnaire to compile a database of the damage done.

This information would then be presented to the Government with a figure of how much was needed to repair the damage caused.

* DOUGLAS: Labour TD Ciarán Lynch said a full analysis of the cause of the flood needed to be carried out, the findings of which must lead to action to prevent such an occurrence again.

Padraig Sheehan of the Douglas Business Association said if the flood was identified as a one-off event, there would likely be no issues with insurance.

However, if it was found to be a flood risk into the future, it would become an insurance “blackspot”.

He said the association’s energies were focused on identifying the cause of the flooding and presenting a case to the Irish Insurance Federation based on the findings.

* FERMOY: Fermoy’s businesses and family homes have a continuing battle with flood cover and high insurance premiums as a result of the town’s history of flash flooding.

“As a prime flooding location we have always had steadily rising insurance premiums,” said Cllr Colette Dolan Moore.

“I grew up in the town and cannot remember a time when our house did not flood regularly. I know businesses that have closed down because of it.

“The floods of 2009 didn’t have a major effect on insurance policies for the locals because of our history of flooding. I really feel for the people affected at the moment in Cork City and county, it couldn’t have come at a worse time for them.”

* GLANMIRE: A number of residences now beginning to have issues with receiving insurance. While, initially, assessors were telling families to clear out their houses and that everything would be fine, a number of residents are complaining insurance companies are now putting obstacles in their way.

Cllr Noel Costello said: “People living here might not have known it was a flood area. There is a flood wall but half of it was covered by trees. It’s not like any of these people are deceiving an insurance company.”