Asigurarea obligatorie a locuinţelor, cale de reducere a efectelor negative ale calamităţilor naturale

Abstract

Insurance is seen, in the present as a complex industry, a regular way providing the community with a great variety of products and services. It appeared from men′s need for protection and indemnity against dangers and for finding the most proper solutions of preventing and erasing them.Despite all measures taken for their own security and for the protection of their fortune, people as any other economic and social entity have always been under the incidence of the risk The natural catastrophes that affected Romania in the last years generated unprecedented records in what concerns the loss of human lives and significant damages at an economical level. According to the 2002 census concerning buildings, there are about 8.1 million buildings made up of 2.5 rooms (in average) in Romania and 48% of these homes are located in rural areas. In the case of an earthquake, only 10% of these buildings would not encounter any problems, while 65% may be damaged by the seism and approximately 25% are sure not to have the necessary anti-seismic protection, being repeatedly damaged by several strong earthquakes that took place on Romania’s territory. In the case of an earthquake like that of 1977, the value of the eventual loss would be around 7.5 up to 17 billion U.S. dollars, i.e. 8% to 18% of the Gross Domestic Product. Such damages could not be supported by the national budget. In these circumstances, building insurance is a more than welcomed and necessary way of reducing the negative effects of natural catastrophes.