741 compensation claims for flood-damaged cars in Makkah

The Civil Defense confirmed Thursday that it has received 741 compensation claims for cars damaged during the recent Makkah floods. This comes as officials continue to assess the scale of the destruction caused by the massive floods last week, which included widespread property damage and the death of one person.
Col. Salah Al-Olayani, spokesperson of the Civil Defense, told Arab News on Thursday that members of the public still have another 15 days to apply for compensation.
Al-Olayani said that the Civil Defense is following standard procedures as stipulated by the Ministry of Interior in cases involving natural disasters.
Procedures include applicants filing pictures of their damaged cars in the floodwaters. Those who do not have pictures, which includes showing their car's registration plates, may have difficulty getting compensation, sources said.
Al-Olayani said the claims would be scrutinized later. “We have received 741 claims for cars. Over 400 were submitted on the first day.” He said the Civil Defense would process claims partially covered by insurance. However, insurance companies would have to deal with those who have comprehensive coverage.
“It’s too early to comment on the volume of losses from the floods in Makkah, but it will certainly be a challenging job to handle claims in such a situation,” said Abdullah Hamdan Al-Zorgi, regional manager of a leading insurance company in Jeddah.
He said that it is common practice for the majority of vehicle owners to have policies only covering road accidents. This leaves them exposed if damage is caused by a natural disaster, he said.
Officials said that the floods were caused by around 50 percent of the city's annual average rainfall, which varies between 80mm and 100mm, falling within two hours on one day last week.