60 homeowners denied storm surge compensation

The Natural Damage Appeal Board has rejected 60 appeals from homeowners in Diernæs Strandby who were denied compensation after a storm surge in Autumn 2023. The refusal is based on whether a constructed earthen embankment acts as coastal protection, thus qualifying as a dyke. Under the storm surge act, properties outside a dyke, and therefore unprotected from the sea, are not eligible for compensation. The homeowners argue that this embankment, which does not appear on the Coastal Directorate’s Kystatlas, was intended for protecting against backwater, not sea defenses. However, the Coastal Directorate assessed the structure as a dyke that guards against relatively high water levels. The Appeal Board stated the original purpose of a dyke is irrelevant; what matters is its function as a coastal protection dyke. The decision, criticized as flawed by the chairman of the local homeowners’ association, can only be contested in court, which the association is deliberating.