Continuous Seismic Activity with Widespread Impact
Since mid-August, the southern Spanish province of Granada and several surrounding towns have been experiencing an intense earthquake swarm, with over 1,000 tremors recorded. The continuous shaking has significantly impacted residents’ lives and property, leading to widespread damage reports.
Surge in Claims, Economic Losses Estimated to Exceed €100 Million
According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, the Insurance Compensation Consortium (Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros), responsible for handling special disaster claims, has received approximately 27,500 claims for material damage caused by the earthquakes. The currently verified losses amount to nearly €72 million.
The consortium predicts that the final number of claims could climb to around 60,000, far exceeding the approximately 13,000 claims filed after a similar earthquake swarm in 2021. Based on this, the final total payout is expected to exceed €100 million. In terms of claim composition, residential properties and homeowners’ associations are the most affected, accounting for the vast majority of submitted claims with 25,797 applications and estimated losses of around €65.5 million. This is followed by commercial premises such as shops and warehouses, with 1,241 claims and estimated losses of about €5.3 million.
Government Activates Emergency Mechanism, Declares ‘Disaster Area’
To effectively respond to the disaster, Spain’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Carlos Cuerpo, met with the mayors of the most affected areas on Wednesday. After the meeting, he stated that the cabinet will soon approve the declaration of a ‘civil protection emergency zone’ for the affected areas. This administrative measure, commonly known in Spain as declaring a ‘disaster area’ (zona catastrófica), will authorize the government to mobilize additional resources more quickly and clear the way for recovery and aid efforts.
Accelerating Payouts and Deploying More Assessors
The Insurance Compensation Consortium began disbursing the first payments this Wednesday and has set a goal of completing 90% of payouts within the next four months. To handle the massive volume of claims, the agency has urgently deployed additional personnel, with 146 loss assessors already on site, a team planned to expand to 250. Affected residents and businesses can submit their claims through their insurance companies, the consortium’s official website, or by phone. As seismic activity is ongoing, authorities are advising residents to report damages promptly and keep proper documentation to facilitate the subsequent assessment and compensation process.
