Occident handled 106,000 incidents caused by meteorological phenomena in 2023

"Damage caused by rainfall is the most common type of claim caused by specific high-impact meteorological events, such as storms Bernard and Betty."

In 2023, the companies that have joined Occident (Seguros Catalana Occidente, Plus Ultra Seguros, Seguros Bilbao and NorteHispana Seguros), responded to a total of 106,764 incidents caused by meteorological phenomena. This is 26% of the cases received; in particular, the meteorological phenomena that caused the greatest number of incidents and queries were, in this order, rain (66,263), wind (31,992), hail (8,169) and snow (340).

Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are the provinces with the highest number of requests of this type, receiving 13,306, 11,828 and 10,993 requests, respectively. However, in Madrid and Valencia, atmospheric requests accounted for 35% and 31%, respectively, of the total number of incidents, while in Barcelona they accounted for just 14%. The provinces with the most atmospheric claims in relation to the total number of cases were Álava (53%), Toledo (47%) and Soria (41%).

Storm Bernard, which lashed the south and centre of the Iberian Peninsula in October with strong gusts of wind and rain, was the meteorological event with the biggest impact according to the insurance group's records. The companies comprising Occident received a total of 6,420 storm-related claims, 1,317 in Madrid, 1,142 in Seville, 386 in Huelva and 385 in Cordoba, among other provinces.

Meanwhile, the abundant rainfall caused by the cold drop that occurred at the beginning of September caused 2,247 incidents. The regions of Madrid and Toledo were the most affected areas, with 527 and 170 requests, respectively. In the third biggest event, during the last week of August, 2,114 requests were received as a result of storm Betty. The Balearic Islands headed the most affected areas, with 440 incidents, followed by Valencia, with 373.

Up to 60% more calls

During these adverse meteorological episodes, companies recorded up to a 63% increase in the volume of calls handled. In particular, on average, during the cold drop in September, the volume of calls increased by 42%; when storm Bernard occurred, by 32%; and when storm Betty took place, 12% more requests were handled.

Antonio Gutiérrez, head of Occident's claims networks, highlighted "the value of the service we offer our customers when an adverse weather event occurs". Firstly, and in partnership with the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), Occident sends its customers weather alerts when a possible occurrence of such an event is detected, in order to protect policyholders and their families, as well as to minimise possible damage. 

At the same time, in these situations, Occident, which provides service to 4.5 million customers, has implemented a special mechanism with the aim of channelling requests and queries related to the atmospheric phenomenon and its effects through its broad network of mediators. The network of loss adjusters who assess and evaluate the damage caused by the meteorological event in question has also been stepped up and customers are offered the possibility of carrying out a remote assessment, better known as video assessment. Of the total number of incidents (106,764) that occurred in 2023, 19% could be assessed through this type of expert appraisal, which speeds up processing and saves on time and cost.