Over €500 million in damage due to storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin

Storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin caused at least 500 million euros worth of damage in the Netherlands, the Dutch association of insurers VvV announced on Monday. Insurers have already received a record number of damage claims from these storms and expect to receive more in the coming days, the VvV said.

Storm Dudley started the six consecutive days of stormy weather in the Netherlands last week Wednesday. Storm Franklin will leave the country today. Eunice, which hit on Friday and Saturday, was the strongest storm of the past four years. 

Together, the three storms caused a great deal of damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, and other assets, the insurers said. The damage came from trees and branches falling onto buildings and vehicles, the wind blowing roof panels loose, and heavy rainfall causing flooding. A spokesperson for VvV told NL Times they believe "that the February storms this year might be the biggest this decade." They are still researching the issue.

The VvV expects that the damage amount will increase in the coming days. The insurers have an enormous amount of phone calls and emails to work through, and the rest of the week is also expected to be windy, a spokesperson for the association said to NOS. 

"Despite the fact that the Netherlands anticipated the storm well, the February storms resulted in a record number of reports and an enormous amount of damage," VvV general director Richard Weurding said. He added that the insurers are helping their customers as quickly as possible.