'Friederike' caused €1 billion in damages in Germany
January 25, 2018
The deadly winter storm "Friederike" that swept through western Europe is estimated to have caused around €1 billion in damages in Germany. It was the second-most expensive storm to strike Germany in the past 20 years.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/K.-D. Gabbert
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From Amsterdam to Munich, Friederike uproots European life
Severe winds blew through Germany and its neighbors. At least five people have died. Flights and trains have been disrupted.
Image: picture alliance / Guido Kirchner/dpa
Trains halted
A tree is lying on the tracks in the western German region of Westphalia, which was one of the hardest hit by Friederike.
Image: picture alliance / Guido Kirchner/dpa
Hold on to your hats - and each other!
People held onto each other in the western city of Cologne as they struggle during heavy winds.
Image: Reuters/T. Schmuelgen
Trucks toppled
Friederike caused several buses to flip onto their sides - this accident happened near the western city of Bonn.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Vogel
Deadly trees
Uprooted trees and branches injured and, in some cases, killed people as Friederike tore through western Europe.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner
A potentially dangerous landmark
People were kept away from Cologne's iconic cathedral on Thursday as authorities were concerned gusts of wind could blow pieces of stone from the building's facade.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R. Vennenbernd
Stuck in the station
Train travelers in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia didn't get to watch the landscape slide past on Thursday afternoon. Rail travel was also halted across the Netherlands.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/H. Toben
Stopped cold in Hamburg
Some drivers defied warnings and attempted to navigate the snow and winds in Hamburg, Germany's northernmost major city.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Heimken
A day off
Schools sat shuttered in the Lower Saxony region of Oberharz as snows from Friederike piled up outside.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Pförtner
A big snowy mess to plow
Friederike's winds and rain were strongest in northwestern Germany and the neighboring Netherlands and Belgium. However, the storm left deep snow in the Black Forest and across the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/P. Seeger
Bad memories
Friederike is the biggest storm to hit Germany and the region since October's Xavier, which shuttered transit stations and tore trees right out of the ground — and sometimes both at once — in Berlin.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gambarini
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The aftermath of storm "Friederike" is estimated to have caused around €900 million euros ($1.12 million) worth of damage to residential houses and office buildings, and a further €100 million in damage to cars, according to Germany's Federation of Private Insurers, the GDV.
The latest figures, released on Thursday, are a significant markup from earlier damage estimates. Last week, the GDV said it estimated the damage costs to total around €500 million. However, the insurance umbrella group said it had to raise its estimates after collecting data from some 450 association members.
In Germany, eight people were killed by falling trees or in car accidents caused by dangerous road conditions. At least three more people were killed in the Netherlands as the storm pummeled towards Germany.
German insurer Provinzial said it had received some 70,000 claims from the Westphalia region, worth some €130 million. Damages were significantly less further south, according to the firm.
HDI, another German insurer, said it had received around 10,000 claims and paid out over €10 million. Industry giants Allianz and Ergo refused to comment on claims they had received in the aftermath of "Friederike."
According to the GDV's insurance data, "Friederike" was the second-most costly storm to strike Germany in the past 20 years, second only to "Kyrill," which caused damages totaling almost €2 billion in 2007.
