French floods cause an estimated € 1.2 billion in damage

In France, nearly 300 towns have been officially declared natural disaster zones, and many farmers have reported significant damage due to severe flooding. An official decree recognising the natural disaster status, due to be published this month, will open the doors to compensation under the Natural Disaster Compensation Scheme. The damages were estimated at € 1.2 billion.

The hardest-hit areas include municipalities in Lot-et-Garonne, Maine-et-Loire and in Gironde. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed in February that 294 municipalities have received the status, following a meeting of a dedicated government commission.

Wettest winter since 1959

France has experienced its wettest February since records began in 1959, Météo-France, the national meteorological service, said. The winter of 2025-2026 ranks among the ten wettest winters since 1959, when records commenced, marked by major floods on the Garonne, Maine, Loire and Charente rivers, among others. Winter rainfall was 35% above average as most regions experienced almost daily rainfall on already saturated ground due to three storms: Goretti, Nils and Pedro. Storm Goretti hit France with winds of more than 200 kilometres per hour on February 9. It was followed by Storm Nils on 12 February and Storm Pedro a week later.

Southwest of the country hit hard

From mid-January, there were forty consecutive days of rain with heavy snowfall across most mountain ranges. February experienced unprecedented rainfall with totals recorded double that of the average for the month. This precipitation led to major flooding and prolonged inundation, particularly along the Atlantic coast and in the southwest of the country. Three people died as a result of the rising waters.

On February 14, Vigicrues, a public agency with a remit to inform on the flood risk of major watercourses in France said there was ‘generalised flooding across the entire national territory, because the soils are saturated everywhere’. “We have broken all our records,” Vigicrues director, Lucie Chadourne-Facon, said.

Natural Disaster Compensation Scheme

The French insurance federation France Assureurs estimates the cost of storm-related damage at €900 million. In relation to the Natural Disaster Compensation Scheme, the public reinsurer Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR) has estimated the cost at €290 million. The total estimated cost is, therefore, a colossal €1.2 billion.

According to France Assureurs, the average cost per household ranges from €10,000 to €14,000. Some 250,000 houses were affected by Storm Nils. “As Storm Pedro followed Storm Nils, widespread flooding occurred in several regions of the country. Insurers have been fully mobilized since the beginning of these events to support their policyholders in these dramatic circumstances,” Florence Lustman, President of France Assureurs said.

Flood prevention

The insurance federation said that insurers are calling for collective action in flood prevention so that all stakeholders can prepare to face natural events that are both more frequent and more intense due to climate change. Françoise Vimeux, research director at the Research Institute for Development, said the impacts of the storms had been worsened by climate change in a report by Le Monde. Edouard Vieillefond, CEO of CCR, said: “As we enter a new climate regime, the Natural Disaster Compensation Scheme is proving itself to be a pillar of national solidarity and a strategic asset for the country.”