The storm passes… and the bureaucracy begins
The storm behind the storm
Friday, October 17, 2025
Communications team
When the rains stop and the sky clears, a much quieter but equally devastating phase begins: that of paperwork, claims, and waiting.
The recent DANAs that have hit the Valencian Community and Catalonia have left a scene of flooded streets, uninhabitable homes, and paralyzed businesses. But, as often happens, the real challenge is not in the water, but in the paperwork that follows.
In recent years, every extreme weather event has revealed the same reality: access to compensation and public aid remains a bureaucratic maze. Insurers cling to the fine print, overwhelmed administrations take weeks to respond, and many victims discover too late that their policy doesn’t cover even half of the damages suffered.
Added to this is the inequality in institutional responses. While some regions quickly activate emergency aid, others face administrative delays that leave hundreds of families and small businesses without immediate support.
In Valencia, for example, after the September DANA, the announcement of a €350 million aid package came weeks after the damage, but its practical implementation remains uncertain. And in Catalonia, some affected municipalities are still waiting for damage assessments in order to access the promised funds.
Time, in these cases, always works against you: the deadlines for filing claims are short, the technical conditions are confusing, and the emotional toll that comes with a catastrophe doesn’t make the process any easier. Understanding this legal and administrative framework becomes a long-distance race that demands rigor, documentation, and strategy.
Because after every storm, the hardest part isn’t always rebuilding the walls… but reclaiming your rights.
What insurance covers (and what usually gets left out)
When a DANA or any natural disaster strikes, the immediate reaction of many victims is to turn to their insurance. But in practice, finding out what a policy actually covers can be as complicated as understanding the weather report itself.
Most of the damage caused by natural phenomena —floods, overflows, extreme winds, or landslides— is considered extraordinary risk, and in those cases, the Insurance Compensation Consortium (CCS) intervenes. This state body acts when the damage is not covered by the private insurer or when the company responsible for doing so is insolvent.
However, CCS coverage has limits and conditions. It only applies when the incident is a direct consequence of a phenomenon officially recognized as “extraordinary” and affects assets insured under an active policy. This excludes numerous cases: damage from slow leaks, lack of maintenance, or pre-existing structural defects.
Insurers also tend to interpret policy clauses narrowly. A roof that collapses may be considered the result of a storm… or of “poor maintenance.” A flood may be attributed to excessive rain… or to a failure in the public drainage system. And each interpretation completely changes the outcome of the claim.
Added to this is the time factor: the deadlines to report a claim are usually just seven calendar days, and any mistake in the communication can lead to the loss of the right to compensation. Clients are not always informed of this detail, and when they are, it’s often too late.
That’s why, after events like the recent DANAs in Valencia or Catalonia, it’s not uncommon for victims to face months of waiting, conflicting expert reports, and assessments that undervalue the real damage. And the most frustrating part is that, in many cases, the documentation or the way the claim is presented makes the difference between receiving compensation or being left without any coverage at all.
In a context where extreme weather events are increasingly frequent, knowing the limits —and the rights— within an insurance policy is not just a matter of foresight: it’s a legal necessity.
The administrative maze of public aid
When a natural disaster strikes, public administrations usually react quickly in terms of communication: aid announcements, disaster area declarations, and promises of efficiency. However, between the announcement and reality, a gap opens up that, for those affected, can be as harsh as the disaster itself.
After the recent DANAs in Valencia and Catalonia, the aid approved by the State and the regional governments took weeks to materialize. Many affected municipalities hadn’t even finished compiling their damage reports when the application deadlines were already running. In some cases, residents didn’t even know which authority to contact or what documentation to submit.
The procedure, theoretically simple, turns into an obstacle course:
online forms that crash, certificates requiring prior appointments, and a bureaucracy that seems designed for paper, not for urgency. Those affected by the September DANA in Valencia have experienced this firsthand: there are families still waiting for a response and self-employed workers who still don’t know whether their application was correctly registered.
To all this is added the confusion about the compatibility between public aid and compensation from insurance or the Insurance Compensation Consortium. Many citizens fear losing one if they apply for the other, when in fact they can coexist, as long as they are managed correctly.
It’s at this point that legal support becomes crucial. A lawyer experienced in insurance claims and administrative law can correctly interpret rulings, challenge denials, substantiate damages with expert reports, and coordinate procedures to ensure that public aid doesn’t interfere with private compensation.
Because after every natural disaster, victims don’t just need to rebuild their homes or businesses — they also need to reclaim their right to a fair and effective response from the system.
The role of the lawyer specialized in insurance claims
In theory, having insurance should provide peace of mind. In practice, after a serious incident, many people discover that their real battle isn’t against the storm, but against their insurance company.
Insurance companies often interpret policy clauses to the limit, seeking to minimize their liabilities. They claim exclusions for maintenance, dispute the intensity of the event, or reduce the damage value through adjusted assessments. In these cases, having a lawyer specialized in insurance claims makes all the difference.
An experienced professional can identify hidden coverages that the insured may not be aware of. For example, in businesses affected by floods or explosions, beyond material damage, it is possible to claim compensation for days of closure or for loss of revenue (business interruption). In the case of the recent DANAs, numerous shops and workshops had to suspend their activity for weeks without realizing they were entitled to compensation.
In addition, the lawyer acts as an intermediary with the insurance company and the Insurance Compensation Consortium (CCS), reviewing policies, managing technical documentation, and negotiating with the experts. If the assessments are not fair, they can challenge them, file claims with the Directorate-General for Insurance, or even take the case to court.
But legal assistance is not limited to the insurance field. In situations such as the gas explosion in L’Hospitalet or the recent floods in the Baix Llobregat, those affected also need support in labor, tax, and administrative matters: from processing ERTOs due to force majeure, to requesting tax deferrals or claiming government liability when the disaster worsens due to lack of maintenance or foresight.
That’s why, in times of crisis, the role of the lawyer ceases to be just that of a legal advisor and becomes that of a comprehensive coordinator of solutions — someone capable of bringing together civil, tax, labor, and administrative aspects into a coherent strategy to protect the rights of those affected and speed up recovery.
Beyond insurance: the importance of comprehensive legal support
When the waters recede and the cameras turn off, the hardest part for those affected begins: rebuilding. And in that process, having specialized legal support is not a luxury but an essential tool to move forward with confidence.
A legal team experienced in insurance claims, administrative, labor, and tax law not only helps recover what’s been lost but also prevents further harm. Knowing which documents to present, when, and to whom; understanding which types of aid are compatible; or knowing how to act if the administration or insurer denies responsibility can make the difference between a partial recovery and fair compensation.
At GRÀCIACALBET, we have supported individuals, homeowners’ associations, and companies in similar situations: explosions, floods, fires, or structural collapses — cases where timing and precision are everything. Our experience has taught us that behind every claim there’s more than just a file: there are people who need to return to normal life without getting lost in bureaucracy.
Because when the storm passes, what begins shouldn’t be another battle.
