Insurance gap: Ten million Germans unprotected in the event of a disaster!

Insurance gap: Ten million Germans unprotected in the event of a disaster!

On May 29, 2025, we will once again look back at the tragic events of the Ahr Valley disaster in 2021, which revealed many weaknesses in German disaster protection. According to reports from fr.de This devastating incident has reignited the political debate on resilience and crisis management, particularly in the midst of the Ukraine war, which has further reinforced the importance of such issues.

In response to the catastrophic flood events, Diakonie Catastrophe Aid and “HUK Helps” launched a Germany-wide project. The aim of this project is to form a nationwide network of disaster relief workers in order to optimize the supply of relief goods in crisis situations. Martin Keßler, head of Diakonie disaster relief, emphasizes that extreme weather events are increasing and appropriate preparation is more necessary than ever.

The insurance gap in Germany

A central issue is the inadequate insurance of many homeowners in Germany. Loud fr.de Only around 10 million of the over 23 million home and apartment owners are insured against natural hazards. Most people only have insurance against storm or fire damage. This means that in crisis situations, many of those affected lack the financial support they urgently need. Particularly in flood-prone areas, insurance fees can reach four-digit amounts per year.

Kerstin Bartels, CEO of “HUK Helps”, emphasized the importance of natural hazard insurance and pointed out the discussions about possible compulsory insurance. The Merz government's coalition agreement stipulates that insurers must offer natural hazard insurance for both new and existing contracts.

The warnings on the day of the disaster

The events in the Ahr Valley began on August 10, 2021 with clear severe weather warnings from the German Weather Service. Unlike previous days, when the amount of water was normally less than one meter, the water level at the Altenahr gauge rose rapidly. At 2:30 p.m. it was already 1.38 meters. At around 3:26 p.m., the State Environment Agency predicted a threatening high of 5.19 meters, which triggered the second highest warning level.

The Ahrweiler district administration warned residents via the Katwarn app and strongly advised against going into cellars and underground car parks if there was a risk of flooding. At that time, the highest level in two decades had been reached at 3.71 meters in 2016, but the weather situation in 2021 dwarfed all previous events.

Martin Keßler criticizes the different funding guidelines of the federal states, which make it difficult to provide quick help after disasters. He appeals to the federal government to simplify the processes for dealing with damage and thus create a task for society as a whole, which also includes raising the population's awareness of disaster prevention and civil defense.

The ongoing discussions about insurance obligations and crisis management show how important it is to learn from the mistakes of the past and better prepare society for the challenges of tomorrow.