Well before the floods had eased, insurance companies were yesterday inundated with calls from people asking about making claims for damage.

One company had already received a number of calls by mid-morning, although relatively few people had the opportunity or the presence of mind to file their claims so promptly. In summer, most insurance companies close by early afternoon.

"It is still too early to say how many claims there will be and what their value will be, but judging by the number of enquiries we had and the fact that seven claims had already been filed by midday, I think that the number will be quite high," a spokesman for Laferla Insurance said.

His comments were echoed by several other insurance companies contacted by The Times.

"The extent will be known later in the week. It depends on the value of what has been damaged or destroyed and whether items can be repaired or have to be replaced. A valuable car could cost as much as seven cars.

"Even if a wall is demolished by water, a brick wall costs considerably less to re-build than a rubble wall, which requires a certain skill and is more labour intensive to construct," the spokesman said.

All the major insurance companies expected claims related to "storm, tempest or flood damage", which usually involves damage to rugs and furniture as well as to interior decor and masonry.

The spokesman said claims related to storm damage were not unusual but Malta and Gozo had not experienced a storm like yesterday's for a considerable time.

"It appears that more damage than usual was caused because the storm came a little too early in the season and many people had still not carried out proper maintenance. Culverts in roads may not yet have been all cleared and that would exacerbate the problem.

"We expect the usual claims, such as overflow of sewage through toilets because drains get blocked, and seepage through stones. In some cases there may be claims related to walls that collapse because of water currents. But insurance contracts do not cover damage resulting from leaks arising from lack of maintenance, because that is not accidental," the spokesman said.

The problems were acute in low-lying areas, where run-off water passes, but many basements were flooded, even in areas on high ground such as Naxxar. Several houses and commercial outlets normally left unscathed were flooded as the water levels rose higher than usual.

In many areas, the problem was made worse by passing traffic, which pushed water over the pavement and into people's homes.

Claims are also expected to be high as far as motor vehicles are concerned. There were many collisions which will lead to third party claims. Most claims will, however, involve cars insured comprehensively, as owners could file a claim if the interior or the paint or bodywork are damaged by water or the car being swept away in the floods.

The situation is different for cars insured against third party damage, which may not qualify for claims.

"Cars which collide when the driver loses control because they are carried by floods, or parked cars which are swept away and smash into other cars would not qualify for insurance protection unless comprehensively insured, because that would be classified as an act of God," the spokesman said.

"Claims related to flood damage touch on all aspects of insurance except medical insurance. We will know more precisely about the claims we will receive by the end of the week. Initially, people try to minimise their losses and do not immediately think about filing a claim. Ironically, our flooding starts when the floods subsides," the spokesman said.