If a storm approaches and there is a risk of hail, the small aircraft from Baloise Insurance are deployed. With the so-called hailstones, which is equipped with a special spray device, the clouds can be flown to and inoculated with silver iodide – to prevent large and heavy hailstones from forming, which cause massive damage. Baloise emphasizes that this cloud inoculation procedure is harmless to people and nature.
Motor vehicles are hardest hit
The special aircraft of the type Cessna, which is stationed at the Birrfeld airfield and is on the road throughout German-speaking Switzerland, is taking its winter break after this year’s five-month season. It has flown 27 times. Baloise takes stock of hail prevention. “According to an internal damage analysis, this procedure shows an initial positive trend,” said a press release. The starting point for the analysis is the internal hail damage data from the last 20 years.
Pilot project designed for three years
In the 2020 season, Baloise speaks of a total of four loss events – days with more than 50 claims – on which the hail flier was deployed. “The average amount of damage on these days was around 10 percent lower than the annual average, which suggests a lower intensity,” the insurer notes. The number of claims per year, adds Baloise, has been at a relatively low level overall since the start of the hailstorm. The pilot project started in August 2018. It is designed to run for three years.
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According to Baloise, one of the sectors most affected by hail is motor vehicle insurance. The internal analysis of the claims in this area showed that, compared to the years 2000 to 2017, “the hail-related claims expenditure since the beginning of the targeted cloud inoculation has been consistently at a low level”, according to the insurer. There is currently talk of a mid-single-digit million amount.
ETH is analyzing the procedure scientifically
Baloise is working together with ETH on the hailstorm project. This scientifically researches the influence of the targeted inoculation of clouds. In addition, experts were appointed to a hail council to discuss the hail prevention approach.
Although the positive trend is gratifying “in reducing the severity of hail precipitation”, Thomas Schöb, Head of Claims and member of the Baloise management, is quoted in the press release. But it is premature to draw a conclusion about the effectiveness of the hailstones, he admits. “At the end of the pilot phase, we will analyze the last few years together with the ETH and the partners from the Hail Council and discuss how to proceed.” When the pilot project started, the hail flier caused quite a stir in the media. Some experts have expressed doubts about this method.
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