Chapter V: Insurance against natural disasters.

Insurance contracts taken out by any natural or legal person other than the State and covering fire damage or any other damage to property located in France, as well as damage to the bodies of land motor vehicles, entitle the insured party to cover against the effects of natural disasters, including those of subsidence due to underground cavities and marl pits on property covered by such contracts. In addition, if…

I.-The National Advisory Commission on Natural Disasters is responsible for issuing an annual opinion on the relevance of the criteria used to determine recognition of the state of natural disaster, within the meaning of article L. 125-1, and on the effective conditions for compensating disaster victims. This opinion is given in particular on the basis of an annual report produced by the interministerial commission for the recognition of the state…

A contact person for the management of the consequences of natural disasters and their compensation is appointed by prefectoral order to the representative of the State in the département. Without prejudice to the remit of the relevant departments, he/she is responsible for : 1° Informing municipalities of the steps required to submit an application for recognition of a state of natural disaster, advising them during the examination of their application…

Insurance undertakings must include in the contracts referred to in article L. 125-1 a clause extending their cover to the losses referred to in the third paragraph of the said article. The cover provided in this way may not exclude any of the property mentioned in the contract or make any deductions other than those set out in the standard clauses provided for in article L. 125-3. It is covered…

The contracts mentioned in article L. 125-1 are deemed to contain such a clause, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary. Standard clauses deemed to be in writing in these contracts are determined by order of the Minister for the Economy.

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the cover referred to in article L. 125-1 of this code includes reimbursement of the cost of geotechnical studies made necessary in advance to restore buildings affected by the effects of a natural disaster, as well as the costs of architects and project managers associated with such restoration, where these are compulsory.

This chapter does not apply to damage for which compensation is governed by the provisions of Chapter I of Title VI of Book III of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code. Also excluded from the scope of this chapter is damage to air, sea, lake and river vehicles, marine renewable energy installations, as defined in article L. 111-6, as well as transported goods and the damage referred to in…

In areas classified as non-constructible by a plan for the prevention of foreseeable natural risks approved under the conditions laid down by the provisions of Chapter II of Title VI of Book V of the Environmental Code, the obligation laid down in the first paragraph of article L. 125-2 does not apply to insurance undertakings in respect of the property and activities mentioned in article L. 125-1, with the exception,…