Dubai: Police will provide motorists a report that will enable them to seek insurance if their vehicles have been damaged by rain or flooding provided insurance companies agree to such a proposal.
Although many people requested police stations for this report during the recent flooding, most were not able to claim insurance for their damaged vehicles as they did not have a clause in the agreement that covers natural perils, a police source said.
Motorists who pay additional charges to include coverage against damages caused by floods, storms, typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, tornados, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes are eligible to have their costs covered by insurance companies.
"People should ensure that they have this clause in their insurance agreement for their vehicles to be fixed. Full insurance does not necessarily mean coverage against natural disasters or floods," said Lieutenant Colonel Ali Ganim, Director of Bur Dubai Police Station.
Police assistance
According to Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Saeed, Deputy Director of Al Qusais Police Station, if the motorist is assisted by a police patrol unit to move his/her vehicle then the person can come to the nearest police station to claim the report since there is proof that the vehicle was damaged during flooding. Otherwise, he added, the person can request for a report from the car agency to examine the vehicle and determine the reasons for the damage.
If the report proves it was damaged because of natural causes like rain then "we do provide a report to assist the motorists with their insurance companies," said Lt Col Saeed.
Not many people are aware of this procedure. Recently a motorist requested his insurance company to fix his damaged car, but his claim was turned down because he did not have an official report from the police.
The motorist claimed that when he approached one of the police stations he was informed by a duty officer that the police don't provide such forms.
In another case, Martin Joseph, who was on his way to his Sharjah residence from Dubai, has to go to a car repair workshop to fix his car after it broke down on the water-logged Emirates Road.
Joseph claimed that he was refused a report by the police and was turned down by his insurance company despite having a clause in his insurance agreement that covers flooding.
Complaint
"I don't understand why I pay extra charges for my insurance for natural calamities when there is no formal procedure for it to be covered. Who will compensate me," he said.
In the light of such cases, Lt Col Saeed said: "I am not aware of this particular case and this could be one of the very few rare cases. I assure everyone that we do issue a report, which costs Dh60, to prove their vehicle was damaged due to natural calamity as long as it is proven by a police unit or the car agency."
Joseph said he had to pay over Dh1,700 to cover the expenses for his damaged vehicle, something which should have been handled by the insurance company.
