Danish coastal homeowners granted new compensation review after agency error

A mistake by Denmark’s Coastal Directorate means that 22 homeowners at Vilstrup Strand, including Jørgen Storgaard, will have their flood damage compensation claims reassessed, state broadcaster DR reports.

Storgaard, whose summer house was severely damaged in the October 2023 storm surge, initially had his claim rejected along with several neighbours. On Tuesday, he received an email from the Natural Disaster Council stating that his case—and 21 others—would be reviewed again.

“This is an incredible relief,” Storgaard told DR. “Now I can finally see an end to this. The way we’ve been treated has been so unfair.”

The reversal follows a February admission by the Coastal Directorate that its initial assessment of the area was flawed. The agency had previously ruled that the affected properties lay in front of a dike and were therefore ineligible for compensation. However, a re-examination confirmed that floodwaters had actually surged from Hoptrup Stream, which overflowed during the storm, and that dikes existed between the properties and the stream.

Thorsten Piontkowitz, senior consultant at the Coastal Directorate, acknowledged the error: “Our work was not thorough enough, and we regret that.”

The agency’s revised evaluation came after five local landowners formally requested a review last summer, prompting the Natural Disaster Council to reopen the cases.

Insurance companies will now reassess the claims, though Thomas Brenøe, director of insurance and digitalisation at Insurance & Pension, warned the process could be complex. “It’s been 2.5 years since the damage occurred,” he said. “Some owners may have moved, renovated differently, or sold their properties.”

Still, Brenøe assured that insurers would work with customers to ensure fair outcomes, noting that payouts would come from Denmark’s shared storm flood fund, not individual companies.

Storgaard, who has long fought for a reversal, said he now looks forward to spending Christmas in his repaired home. “I’ll be damned if I’m not holding Christmas out here,” he said.