“I had to leave the tree that fell on my barn’s roof,” said Paul (alias). It has been two weeks after storm Éowyn hit Ireland, now that power and water is mostly restored, farmers are battling to restart their operations.
Paul, a third-generation livestock farmer in county Galway – who spoke to us on condition of anonymity – slowly restarting his farm operations after it was hit by storm Éowyn. Water and power have been restored but Paul is still grappling with the damages to his farm. A hundred-year-old tree was ripped out of the ground and tossed onto the barn’s roof, tearing out part of his fence in the process. “I could hear the cows yelling out during the storm,” he said. The generational tree still rests on his barn, which was extensively photographed by Paul after the incident. He leaves it there because he has yet to hear back from his insurance.
“I made the claims as quickly as humanly possible,” he said after studying his insurance package and finding out his fence falls under a different policy than his roof, which was only the tip of the administrative iceberg. Insurance companies require solid proof of damage – hence his meticulous documentation – but Paul was convinced he would get more money back if he left the damage as is to “avoid any ambiguity”.
The bureaucratic jungle is layered and represents Paul’s salt in the wounds. After suffering loss to his cattle as well, he made six different claims in total, hoping to “see some money back”. He disclosed that some damage would not be covered by his insurance due to the specific package he chose. His insurance provider covers up to 2,6 million worth of damages but only for gradual environmental damage, which storm Éowyn does not fall under. Coverage limits for storms – especially wind – fall under a different policy which varies between different insurance companies. Due to the unique nature of each damage, insurance companies are facing delays with responding to claims which can last years according to Insurance Business Magazine.
The smallest details matter when making claims, and Paul cannot afford to forget any details. Large loss of livestock or equipment damage means that onsite inspections need to take place, which extends the time before he receives his paycheck. He had to submit veterinary reports, photo libraries of the damage and detailed inventory lists.
Paul is not the only one suffering from this administrative battle. Online forums saw a lot of traffic as young farmers gathered to share their stories. It was easy to find stories of people chain sawing through fallen trees for hours to be able to reach their sheep, meanwhile others detailed the loss of their bulls and pedigree animals, which hold a high market value.
Reddit user GuireCara helps certified Irish angus farmers who suffered setbacks due to the loss of their cows. He told me that “high value” animals have to be specially insured and fall under a different insurance policy, which has to be filed separately, alongside the loss of “normal” cattle. Time is of the essence as insurance companies operate on a first come first serve basis. Farmers are given the choice which claims they want to redeem first, so many feel they need to prioritise their highest value items. This means that angus farmers felt forced to file claims for their farming equipment before they could start filing claims for their beloved cattle, which “was a hard choice to make”.
Storm Éowyn caused damages close to a hundred million euros, according to Irish sources, with many homes left without power or running water, weeks after the storm passed. Now that power is slowly returning, many are still (left) waiting to receive money from their insurance to start rebuilding their operations.
“I am tired of waiting around,” said Paul as he’s restless whilst his claims are being processed. The restoration of water and power “took long enough” but without economic help his farm can only recover in increments.
*not his real name.