The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has offered assurances to Australians that insurers are on standby as it continues to monitor the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BoM) recent severe weather warnings.
On Tuesday, the BoM released several severe weather updates, including flooding across Northern Rivers in New South Wales (NSW), with heavy rainfall moving southwards as of 12pm. It also revealed that ex-Tropical Cyclone Charlotte remained offshore, bringing a humid airmass to the west of Western Australia (WA), while severe thunderstorms developed north of Perth.
This follows prior warnings on March 23 of wild weather returning to eastern Australia, including areas already devastated by the Queensland and NSW flooding.
The ICA said it is closely monitoring the severe weather and flood warnings, noting that at least 14 recovery centres – including Lismore and Mullumbimby – have closed their doors to ensure the safety of staff and community members. Moreover, insurance assessors on the ground for the past month will follow emergency services’ instructions and be on standby to move into flood-impacted communities once it is safe to do so.
“This is the last thing communities in southeast Queensland and NSW need, and we understand the stress for homeowners and businesses from yet another flood event,” said ICA CEO Andrew Hall.
As of March 25, insurers had received over 165,000 claims related to the devastating floods in southeast Queensland and NSW since February 21, 2022.
Considering the damage of the catastrophic flooding in the two states and the recent severe weather warnings, the ICA offered assurances that it will continue to work with governments to understand severe weather events’ impacts on communities and ensure the affected residents receive assistance.
Furthermore, the ICA recommended that affected residents put their safety first and then contact their insurer to begin the claims process.
“We have been on the ground over the past month and will continue to be available under the direction of emergency services,” Hall said.
