Force majeure
Storms, floods and rockfalls inevitably lead to damage. Discover what events insurance companies consider an act of nature and why they affect liability.
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Force majeure is a term used to describe inevitable events that cannot be averted or rendered harmless even when taking utmost care. Such events, also referred to as "Acts of God", include extremely heavy gales or storms, rockfalls, flooding, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hostage-taking, war, civil unrest, nuclear accidents, etc. However, if an event can reasonably be expected to happen, such as in the case of floods that regularly occur in the same regions, this is not considered an Act of God.
If a loss event is caused under the influence of a force majeure, the responsible person is no longer liable. This means, for example, that the owner of a tree is not liable if the tree falls on top of a parked car during a heavy storm. In this case of force majeure, the car's partial casco insurance would pay for the damage (natural hazard).