Over £80m worth of claims from farming and rural businesses has been processed by NFU Mutual after Storm Arwen brought about severe damage and disruption.
Primarily impacting Scotland, Northern Ireland and North-East England in November last year, Arwen was the most severe storm of 2021.
Winds of over 70mph were felt throughout the northern UK and gusts of almost 100mph were recorded in Northumberland.
The dangerous winds brought down trees, damaged rural homes and farm buildings, and resulted in widespread travel disruption.
This was compounded by freezing temperatures, snow, and localised flooding, which caused further damage, making travel treacherous or impossible.
In the months after the devastating storm, NFU Mutual, which insures three quarters of UK farms, has been supporting around 8,000 customers who suffered.
Jon Bird, property claims manager for the insurer, said that rural areas particularly suffered extensive damage following the storm.
“Our teams responded to hundreds of calls in the first few hours and have since supported around 8,000 customers," he said.
"Claims ranged from business losses, ruined farming equipment and damage to property caused by dangerous winds – including some cases where entire roofs were ripped from buildings."
Some repairs are still ongoing, and the total cost of the damage seen by NFU Mutual has exceeded £80 million.
Estimates from last year suggest that the total cost of Storm Arwen across all insurers could be as high as £300 million.
“The unique nature of Storm Arwen and its concentration in exposed, rural areas meant that the countryside suffered significant damage," Mr Bird added.
“As the UK’s rural insurer with a network of over 295 local agency offices in communities across the country, we saw that this was the worst weather event to hit last year."
