The bad weather in the last few hours has left hundreds of incidents across the country, with floods, falling trees and dozens of damaged cars. Many drivers now want to know if they are entitled to compensation and who should bear the losses. According to DECO PROteste, the response depends both on the cause of the incident and on the evidence collected at the scene, as damage is not always automatically covered by insurance or the local authority.
When the responsibility lies with the local authority
DECO PROteste recalls that it is up to local authorities to ensure the good condition of public assets, including trees in municipal spaces. However, according to the same source, the citizen can only claim compensation if they can prove that the municipality did not ensure adequate maintenance of the tree that fell on the vehicle. This element is decisive: the fall is not enough, it is necessary to demonstrate a failure in conservation.
To achieve this, it is essential that the incident is registered by the authorities. The same source explains that the situation must be included in the police report and that the driver must collect as much evidence as possible. Photographs of the tree, its previous condition, the surrounding area and the impact on the vehicle are essential to support the request. According to the publication, these elements can determine the success or failure of the complaint.
However, most of the falls recorded during the Cláudia depression are not the result of a lack of maintenance, but of extreme meteorological phenomena, duly signaled by the authorities. In these cases, the scenario changes completely.
When does the insurance pay
Insurance companies have a clear rule for bad weather situations. Falling trees and landslides caused by natural phenomena are included in personal damage coverage.
According to DECO PROteste, only policyholders who specifically contracted this protection are entitled to claim the insurance and receive compensation. Those who only have mandatory civil liability insurance are not covered.
This distinction has become especially relevant in recent days. The Cláudia depression caused two deaths, five displaced people and 918 incidents until 11 am, according to ANEPC data released by Lusa. Of the total, 594 were floods and 140 tree falls, revealing the significant impact of bad weather in urban and rural areas.
A storm with hundreds of occurrences
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley region was the most affected, with 540 incidents, followed by the Center region, with 263. The North accounted for 66, the Alentejo 19 and the Algarve 31, according to ANEPC. E-REDES also reported around 20 thousand customers without power during the morning, mainly in the districts of Lisbon, Santarém and Setúbal, a number that dropped to 13 thousand towards the end of the morning.
IPMA maintained red and orange warnings in several districts, due to heavy and persistent rain, and Civil Protection once again warned of the increased risk in flood zones and wooded areas.
The essential step that many drivers forget
For anyone who is faced with damage caused by storms, the central point is simple: collect evidence and immediately report it to the competent authorities. Without a police report, without photographs and without a record of the situation at the time, any claim for compensation, whether to the insurance or the local authority, loses force or may even be rejected.
The rule, emphasizes , remains prevention: knowing the policy’s coverage, avoiding risk areas during weather warnings and acting quickly whenever an incident occurs.
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