Storm Poly caused 50 to 100 million euros of damage in the Netherlands

According to initial reports from Dutch insurance companies, Storm Poly - the code red storm that battered the Netherlands earlier this week - is estimated to have caused between 50 and 100 million euros worth of damage across the country. 

Code red storm wreaks havoc across Dutch towns and cities

It was impossible for anyone located in the northern parts of the Netherlands to ignore Storm Poly on Wednesday - and the subsequent damage and disruption that could be observed across various towns and cities. 

While insurance claims were quick to stream in over the course of July 5, The Dutch Association of Insurers reports that the cost of the damage caused to cars, homes and office buildings during the storm totals between 50 and 100 million euros, with director Richard Weurding estimating the exact figure is likely to be at the upper end of this range. 

"Poly has wreaked havoc and the impact is great," Weurding told NOS. "We think the amount will be higher because the damage scenarios can vary greatly regionally, but also locally. And very high wind speeds have also been measured." The Association reports it will take months before the true extent of the damage is clear. 

Storm Poly leads to one death in Haarlem

The majority of the damage is likely to be in the province of North Holland, where cities like Amsterdam and Haarlem were ravaged by the storm. Talking to AT5, Amsterdam alderman Melanie van der Horst said that a total of 115 trees fell in the city as a result of the heavy winds and that it will take workers approximately two weeks to clean up the aftermath.

In the Dutch capital alone, two drivers were injured by falling trees, and hundreds of metres of overhead lines were damaged, wreaking havoc on local public transport services. Reports from Haarlem tell a similar story; an entire row of houses was hit when four trees were uprooted in the storm, and a 51-year-old woman tragically died after a tree fell on her car.

A number of buildings across the north of the country are known to have been damaged during the storm, including various beach houses and houseboats and a school.

Thumb image credit: JADA photos / Shutterstock.com.