Storm Chandra in late January and rainfall in the days that followed is estimated to have resulted in almost €26 million of claims in the Republic, according to Insurance Ireland.
The estimate is based on a survey of its members in the wake of the biggest storm to hit the Republic so far this year, the organisation said.
The €25.6 million estimate, covering claims from the storm and flooding from relentless rain between January 26th and February 15th, is only 8.5 per cent of the insured damage caused by Storm Éowyn early last year. That was the costliest windstorm on record for Irish insurers.
Household and commercial actions account for two-thirds of the estimated 2,400-plus total reported claims – and more than 80 per cent of the insurance bill – stemming from Storm Chandra and the aftermath, according to Insurance Ireland figures provided to The Irish Times in response to questions.
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The total looks set to rank 20th in terms of insured damaged resulting from weather events in Ireland so far this century, according to a table compiled by the lobby group. Four events, including Storm Éowyn, large freeze events in January and December 2010, and widespread flooding in November 2009 topped the €200 million mark.
Met Éireann said in late February it is working on a new locally based weather warning system that will be installed by the end of the year.
Minister for Housing James Browne confirmed that the country-wide alerts will be replaced by a polygon-based weather warning system which will divide the State into sub-zones.
Browne was critical of Met Éireann during Storm Chandra, feeling the weather warnings were not accurate enough for the locations that ended up being flooded by incessant rains both during and after the storm.
Among the places worst affected were his own constituency in Wexford, where the river Slaney burst its banks and flooded dozens of premises.
FBD, the fifth largest general insurer in the market, said on Friday its pretax profit fell by almost 30 per cent last year as it absorbed €30.8 million of net costs from Storm Éowyn.
Aviva Insurance Ireland, currently the third-largest insurer in the State, reported on Thursday that its full-year general insurance operating profit declined 12.3 per cent to €64 million as it dealt with Storm Éowyn, the most expensive insurance event in Irish history, where industry costs exceeded €300 million.
“Recent weather events in 2026 have driven an increase in weather‑related claims. While the current rise is well below the surge seen after Storm Éowyn, flood‑related claims can be more severe. As a result, the average expected cost per claim is higher than for Éowyn‑related property claims,” a spokeswoman for Aviva said.
The cost of repairing local and regional roads damaged during Storm Chandra and the following wet weather could exceed €59 million, according to the eight local authorities worst hit by the event, surveyed by RTÉ News. The eight reported 525 damaged roads as a result of the storm.
