“‘Just assume you won’t get anything’. That’s what I was told in short,” says old iron dealer Hans Wever. The 61-year-old entrepreneur saw last week how his warehouse on the 2e Energieweg went up in flames. Recovering the damage from the company (Country Camp) that caused the fire is, according to an expert in fire matters, ‘almost impossible’. “Only if we were to start law, it could yield something,” says Wever. And Weaver doesn’t want that. “As if the entrepreneur where the fire started wanted this.”
Wever does not have good contents insurance. The things he stored in his shed were often only there for a short time. Everything was left behind, except for some tools and three forklifts. Earlier he estimated that there was certainly still 25,000 euros worth of copper in his warehouse. According to Wever, the total damage would go towards 100,000 euros.
At Jagers Auto’s en Motoren Overhaul, the damage is estimated at 80,000 to 100,000 euros. That company has also been told that it is ‘doomed to fail’ to recover the damage from the company where the fire started. Someone from the company, who does not want to be named further, says that he is underinsured and ‘doesn’t really have’ home contents insurance. “I think that applies to more companies here.”
The company is currently busy arranging replacement business space. “The annoying thing is that these were the cheapest places in Roden in terms of rent. If you want to rent somewhere else, you will soon lose more money.”
Jaap de Graaf of the Floor Gallery, like most companies, does not insure everything. “We are entrepreneurs, not administrators. Your inventory grows over the years and you should actually ‘top up’ your insurance every time, but that didn’t happen.”
As a result, De Graaf only receives a small portion from the insurer. “So we are definitely going backwards,” he predicts. “But it’s not so bad that I’m considering throwing in the towel. I think what the insurance will cover is enough for the new situation.”
In this ‘new situation’, De Graaf will probably have to make do with a little less space and material. But the 58-year-old entrepreneur is not thinking about stopping. “I’ve been in this business for 40 years and wouldn’t want it any other way.”