UAE: New insurance claim website launched for owners of flood-damaged cars

The Ministry of Interior has launched a website for car owners in Fujairah to get an incident report for their damaged vehicles, just a week after unprecedented flooding hit the emirate. Those who have had their cars totalled or wrecked in the record-breaking rain will be able to use this report to claim insurance.

Car owners have to upload a photo of their damaged cars and registration card on the website, which is available in both English and Arabic. The fee for the service is Dh20. Once the details have been submitted, the user is issued a registration number.

“It is a really easy process,” said Sreekumar, a Fujairah resident for 16 years.

“I submitted my details today and I am waiting for the report. I am thankful that I didn’t need to queue up or go anywhere to do this.”

The Indian expat was driving to Khorfakkan on the day of the rains when sudden floods hit. “Water started seeping into the car and before I knew it, there was water up to my steering wheel. I was unable to open the door because of the force of the water. Eventually I grabbed my mobile and laptop and jumped out of the window. My car was later towed away by police vehicles. Once I get the incident report, I can take my car to the garage and get an estimate of how badly it is damaged.”

According to other residents and experts, an incident report could take 2-3 working days to be issued.

“Once a car owner has the report, they can approach their insurance company to proceed with the repairs for their cars,” said Siraj, who works in the insurance industry.

“Usually, what happens is the insurance company will then send a recovery vehicle and take the car to an approved garage from where mechanics will advise whether the car is repairable, or it is deemed a total loss.”

• Rescuing kids, pets, cars: Watch how Fujairah got back on its feet in 7 days after floods