DIRK IS ADDED TO PERILS LIST OF STORMS TO INVESTIGATE

Zurich-based loss data provider Perils is to investigate winter storm Dirk, which lashed the UK and parts of mainland Europe early in the morning of December 24th. It is the third winter storm this season added by Perils to its list, a move it only makes when the potential insured loss is greater than €200m ($273m). The storms already under investigation are Christian (called St Jude in the UK) and Xaver. Another storm, Erich, moved through the UK and Parts of Europe early in the morning of December 28th, although it was less severe than Dirk and is not thought likely to reach the Perils list. Dirk was said by the Environment Agency to have caused the worst floods in the south-east of England since 2000. Winds brought down a large number of trees and power lines, at one time leaving more than 400,000 homes without power. There were more than 200,000 power outages in France. Occurring as it did at the height of the holiday season, there are also likely to be claims under travel insurance policies. Catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide reported on December 28 that systems with a southeast to northwest path such as Dirk and Erich typically brought more rain than those which travelled from northwest to southeast. Most of the loss in the UK has been through flooding rather than wind, AIR said, with more than 1,200 homes affected.