Damage to buildings due to drought episodes observed in France in 2022 is expected to cost between 1.9 and 2.8 billion euros, against an estimate ranging from 1.6 to 2.4 billion previously, according to figures released on Monday 21 November by France Assureurs, the profession's federation.
Unless it is at the bottom of the range, this summer's drought should therefore exceed that of 2003, with its 2.12 billion euros in losses recorded, a record since the creation of the "Natural disasters" regime
in
1982. .
This estimate only includes damage located in municipalities whose state of natural disaster will be recognized, and which will then be considered as consecutive to the drought.
It does not take into account crop damage, which will be covered by specific insurance.
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Drought, following a period of humidification, feeds the phenomenon of shrinkage-swelling of clay soils (RGA) which affects a good half of the metropolitan territory, and results in landslides likely to destabilize the foundations of houses .
This peril “
is both the most dynamic in terms of development, in particular due to climate change, and the least known
”, warned Florence Lustman, president of France Assureurs, quoted in the report.
In France, around 54% of single-family homes are located in areas with medium or high exposure to RGA.
And 3.3 million houses, or about 16% of the total, are located in high risk areas.
According to a study by the federation published in 2021, the drought in France cost 14 billion euros between 1989 and 2019 and is expected to cost around 43 billion between 2020 and 2050.