New Year's damage estimated at €11 million

At least 11 million euros in damage was caused to people’s homes and cars on New Year’s Eve, the Dutch Association of Insurers reported on Monday. The damage estimate is down by two million compared to a year earlier, and is a far cry from the tally eight years ago, when insurers shelled out nearly 24.5 million for various mishaps. Damages to businesses, organizations and schools are still being tallied, the association stated. The 11 million euro estimate is based on claims made very soon after problems arose, and could rise higher. The association’s statistics bureau, CVS, believes the number of fireworks-related fires remained relatively flat. About 40 percent of emergency responses to insured people were connected to fireworks, the CVS stated. Still, fewer of the incidents were considered “very large fires,” and vandalism declined. The association is among many in the Netherlands calling for stricter rules regarding fireworks, but stops short of calling for a complete ban on consumer fireworks. “Municipalities know where the hot spots are in terms of damage and nuisance,” association director Richard Weurding wrote in a statement. “Insurers applaud more fireworks-free zones.”