ICA declares yet another "significant" flood event in NSW

New South Wales (NSW) has faced yet another extreme flooding event, leaving the Central West region inundated. As a result, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a “significant event” for the area.

Central West NSW has been submerged in water since Saturday, November 12. The impact of flooding has been felt most significantly in communities surrounding Central West NSW, particularly Cowra, Forbes, Condobolin, Eugowra, and Molong.

The “significant event” declaration means the ICA has activated the preliminary catastrophe processes to assist the industry in assessing the insurance impact of the current flood event.

Under a significant event declaration:

• The ICA commences its claims data collection, analysis, and reporting processes in consultation with members;
• ICA representatives will continue working with governments and agencies to understand the impacts of the event on the community and ensure affected residents receive assistance; and
• The ICA activates its disaster hotline (1800 734 621) to assist policyholders if they are uncertain of their insurance details or have general enquiries about the claims process.

“Communities in Central West NSW are bearing the brunt of significant flooding, and for many, this is a recurring event, with Forbes experiencing its third devastating flood event in the past four weeks,” said ICA CEO Andrew Hall. “The dramatic footage of Wyangala Dam shows the scale of water and potential damage local communities may face in coming days, and given this is still very much an active emergency, the full extent of the damage may not be known by residents until they're given the ‘all clear’ to return home following widespread evacuations.”

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The ICA warned that it might escalate the event to an insurance catastrophe if there is a significant increase in claims numbers or complexity, the geographical spread of the event is extended, or in consultation with insurers.

As the event unfolds, insurers prioritise community safety. Therefore, they encourage flood-impacted Australians to put their safety first and adhere to evacuation orders.

“Insurers stand ready to support impacted communities when they need it most, and our significant event declaration allows us to better monitor and assess this event, so insurers can best respond,” Hall said.

The ICA continues to support other flood-affected customers, recently announcing that it will host a town hall-style information evening on November 16 to support customers impacted by the recent weather and flooding in Rochester and surrounding areas.