Flood insurance 85
of walls, floor slabs, and other building components, more homes than initially expected were uninhabitable and needed to be demolished.
The majority of homeowners were not insured against floods and became
eligible to apply for governmental funding for rebuilding homes. For
the administrative region of Deggendorf, 118 million euros was provided by
late May 2017 and distributed to 893 applicants. Among these, 227 applied
for demolition and 666 applied for rehabilitation (Deutscher Bundestag
2013; Landratsamt Deggendorf 2017a). At the same time, the German
federal and state governments agreed to establish a program for immediate
assistance to private households in order to provide funding for 80 per cent
of damages to the homes of uninsured owners. Donations managed by a
charitable board were supposed to cover the remaining costs. Applications
were handled by the district administration and the city building department. The duration of the program was initially limited to three years, but
the application process was lengthy and the submission deadline extended
until late 2018. Needy homeowners were eligible to receive up to 100 per cent
of costs. For applications to be successful, uninsured homeowners needed
to demonstrate that the new structure was equivalent to the previous building (Kammerbauer & Wamsler 2018).
A case study design with a mixed methods approach (Gerring 2007, p. 90;
Yin 2009, p. 18) was employed to examine this case in detail. Our data originate from site visits and follow-up enquiries that took place from September
2013 until the end of 2018. Methods included, first, a questionnaire survey
featuring quantitative and qualitative questions, which was distributed
among 53 households (of a statistical population of 374 households); second,
a quantitative spatial analysis of official address books issued by the municipality and the flooded parts of the city; third, qualitative interviews with residents and experts; fourth, a qualitative content analysis and triangulation
of data in order to test and validate results; and fifth, a discussion of preliminary results with the interviewed experts for feedback and verification.
The case study focuses on the households and buildings in the flood zone.
The selection of the survey participants was purposeful (with assistance of
a local contact person and by asking residents to participate) and employed
the ‘snowball method’ (Schnell et al. 2011, p. 294). 374 residential addresses
were identified as statistical population. The questionnaire survey (distributed in-person in May 2014 and collected on the same day and within the
following week) covered 53 addresses, corresponding to the number of participating households, and involved 130 household members.
In the spatial analysis, the official address books of the municipality of Deggendorf served to substantiate the survey data by comparing
addresses before (2012) and after (2014) the flood. The analysed differences help to identify changes in relation to the built environment and
its residents. The address books list all extant addresses in combination
with names of residents. 399 addresses were located in the flood zone.
374 addresses indicated the presence of at least one residential unit. 50
of walls, floor slabs, and other building components, more homes than initially expected were uninhabitable and needed to be demolished.
The majority of homeowners were not insured against floods and became
eligible to apply for governmental funding for rebuilding homes. For
the administrative region of Deggendorf, 118 million euros was provided by
late May 2017 and distributed to 893 applicants. Among these, 227 applied
for demolition and 666 applied for rehabilitation (Deutscher Bundestag
2013; Landratsamt Deggendorf 2017a). At the same time, the German
federal and state governments agreed to establish a program for immediate
assistance to private households in order to provide funding for 80 per cent
of damages to the homes of uninsured owners. Donations managed by a
charitable board were supposed to cover the remaining costs. Applications
were handled by the district administration and the city building department. The duration of the program was initially limited to three years, but
the application process was lengthy and the submission deadline extended
until late 2018. Needy homeowners were eligible to receive up to 100 per cent
of costs. For applications to be successful, uninsured homeowners needed
to demonstrate that the new structure was equivalent to the previous building (Kammerbauer & Wamsler 2018).
A case study design with a mixed methods approach (Gerring 2007, p. 90;
Yin 2009, p. 18) was employed to examine this case in detail. Our data originate from site visits and follow-up enquiries that took place from September
2013 until the end of 2018. Methods included, first, a questionnaire survey
featuring quantitative and qualitative questions, which was distributed
among 53 households (of a statistical population of 374 households); second,
a quantitative spatial analysis of official address books issued by the municipality and the flooded parts of the city; third, qualitative interviews with residents and experts; fourth, a qualitative content analysis and triangulation
of data in order to test and validate results; and fifth, a discussion of preliminary results with the interviewed experts for feedback and verification.
The case study focuses on the households and buildings in the flood zone.
The selection of the survey participants was purposeful (with assistance of
a local contact person and by asking residents to participate) and employed
the ‘snowball method’ (Schnell et al. 2011, p. 294). 374 residential addresses
were identified as statistical population. The questionnaire survey (distributed in-person in May 2014 and collected on the same day and within the
following week) covered 53 addresses, corresponding to the number of participating households, and involved 130 household members.
In the spatial analysis, the official address books of the municipality of Deggendorf served to substantiate the survey data by comparing
addresses before (2012) and after (2014) the flood. The analysed differences help to identify changes in relation to the built environment and
its residents. The address books list all extant addresses in combination
with names of residents. 399 addresses were located in the flood zone.
374 addresses indicated the presence of at least one residential unit. 50