Compensation paid by Tawuniya Insurance Company to flood victims whose cars were damaged by floods in Jeddah and Riyadh has reached SR20 million, said Hisham Bin Muhammad Al-Shareef, the company's Deputy Executive President for Car Insurance. Al-Shareef said compensation for damaged cars in Jeddah reached SR15 million, where floods were more severe than in Riyadh, where SR5 million has been provided to policyholders with flood-damaged cars. Payments for medical expenses for those injured in traffic accidents resulting from the floods were very limited, he added. Tawuniya has also paid claims exceeding SR30 million for engineering projects and properties damaged by last year's floods in Jeddah, Al-Shareef noted. Al-Shareef, who confirmed that comprehensive car insurance provides protection against harm from floods, said claims must be supported with documents and reports issued by the appropriate authorities. They are settled if the papers are complete and in conformity with the policy's conditions, he added. Al-Shareef drew attention to the fact that third-party vehicle insurance does not cover flood damage; it is limited to paying for damage to other people's property if the policyholder causes a traffic accident. Mousa Al-Rubai'an, an insurance expert, said insurance companies cannot renege on compensating policyholders for claims covered by their policies. He noted that many policies do not cover natural disasters because of its high cost and low demand and because it is not properly marketed. He said citizens who are paid for claims their policies cover can file lawsuits through the Committee for Insurance Disputes, which will investigate the cases. The committee has offices in the central, western and eastern regions. Al-Rubai'an said 30 percent of individuals insure their vehicles against a third party and 10 percent insure their vehicles for a single party. He said there are no accurate statistics regarding disaster coverage.
