The municipality of Meerssen believes that the central government is not fulfilling the promise of generous compensation for damage caused by high water. She has sent a letter to the House of Representatives about this.
Mayor Mirjam Clermonts-Aretz van Meerssen wants the government to pay 90 percent of the damage that is not reimbursed by insurance.
Overestimation
On Thursday it was announced that the damage caused by the high water is not nearly as great as first thought. The total damage is about half a billion, and not the 1.3 billion that was previously counted on.
Also read: Flood damage significantly lower than previously estimated
Paying out higher amounts
According to a group of victims of the flood last summer in Geulle, this offers an opportunity to pay out much higher amounts. They didn’t get nearly what they suffered in terms of damage. The money they receive from the Disaster Compensation Act (Wts) is often only a fraction of the amount submitted.
For example, Kris Förster from Geulle was reimbursed 1,300 euros, while he had around 32,000 euros in residual damage. “This gives the government an excellent opportunity to fulfill its promise of generous compensation,” says Förster.
Emergency letter to the House of Representatives
Förster and other victims sent an emergency letter to the House of Representatives. He asks for a much higher compensation. A letter to the same effect has also been sent to the chamber by the municipality of Meerssen. “The victims now feel left out with a pittance,” says Mayor Clermonts. “If they recover 90 percent of the residual damage, then we can really speak of a generous compensation.”