The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an Insurance Catastrophe for the southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales regions impacted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred and subsequent storms since Friday 28 February.
Although Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened before making landfall yesterday, widespread power outages, heavy rain, flooding, and falling debris continue to impact southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
The impact of the ex-TC Alfred, now categorised as a tropical low, has been felt most significantly in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Hervey Bay, and the Northern Rivers, however the declaration covers all claims related to the event since Friday 28 February. Insurers have received almost 3,000 claims so far.
The ICA's Catastrophe declaration serves to escalate and prioritise the insurance industry's response for affected policyholders.
Under the Catastrophe declaration:
- Claims from affected policyholders will be given priority by insurers.
- Claims will be triaged to direct urgent assistance to the worst-impacted property owners.
- ICA representatives are mobilised to work with local agencies and services and affected policyholders as soon as emergency services say it is safe to do so.
- Insurers mobilise disaster response specialists to assist affected customers with claims and assessments as soon as emergency services say it is safe to do so.
- An industry taskforce is established to identify and address issues arising from this catastrophe.
Information about clean up and the claims process can be found on the ICA's website: www.insurancecouncil.com.au/DisasterHelp
Quote attributable to Andrew Hall, CEO, Insurance Council of Australia:
Insurers' top priority is community safety. If you're affected by ex-TC Alfred, stay clear of fallen powerlines and floodwaters, and avoid any activities that could put you at risk.
It's too early to understand the extent of the damage to property in affected areas and to estimate the insurance damage bill, however insurers have received around 3,000 claims in the past two days and expect many more thousands of claims as residents return to their homes and understand the full extent of the damage.
The insurance industry has made this Catastrophe declaration to activate services and support for affected homeowners and businesses and reassure them that their insurer is there to help.
We encourage impacted policyholders to contact their insurer to begin the claims process
