One thousand and twenty-two French municipalities having suffered episodes of drought in 2021 and 2022 were recognized as a state of natural disaster in a decree published on Friday September 8 in the Official Journal. This text, which concerns municipalities in 59 departments, paves the way for taking charge of the damage caused to buildings, mainly houses, by the phenomenon of shrinkage-swelling of clays (RGA), aggravated by drought.
In France, the RGA concerns approximately one house in two, or more than 10 million homes, which are at risk of cracks in the event of excessive drought. According to the federation of insurers, France Assureurs, the cost of drought on individual homes will be around 2.5 billion euros in 2022, a record since the creation of the “Natural Disasters” regime in 1982.
While some voices have criticized the difficulties in obtaining compensation, particularly for those whose municipality has not been subject to a natural disaster order, the government decided at the beginning of the year to relax the conditions. of recognition.
“Drought will cost more and more in the years to come,” warned France Assureurs in the past, for which “by 2050, the cost of compensation related to drought could triple compared to the last thirty years” .