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Westpac Group has donated $250,000 to help the North Queensland community recover from the catastrophic floods that inundated the region.
The funds will be used by The Salvation Army and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal to support disaster recovery and provide local community resilience grants to help them rebuild and repair.
Greg Crocombe, Westpac state general manager for Queensland, said the donation is in addition to the bank’s disaster-relief package, which is now available to flood-impacted customers.
“We have proactively contacted customers we believe may have been affected, and all customers can be assured that our staff are prepared and ready to assist with any financial concerns or enquiries,” Crocombe said. “For example, our disaster-relief package can provide Westpac home-loan customers impacted by the floods the opportunity to defer repayments for three months as well as loan restructuring opportunities for business customers. By offering such support to our customers, we hope to help alleviate any concerns they may have about their financial commitments so they can instead concentrate on their loved ones and the pressing issues at hand.”
The Sydney-based financial services company also assured insurance customers that their policy will cover them for flood and storm damage.
“Our assessors are on the ground and ready to assist all customers in the worst affected areas,” Westpac said. “Customers should not put themselves at risk by going into affected areas to retrieve insurance documents or to take photographs. We understand proof of loss may not be possible and we will accept the word of customers in these instances.”
Customers can lodge their claim by calling 1800 198 229. For disaster-relief assistance, they can contact Westpac Assist on 1800 067 497 or their local bank manager.
