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Claims have started streaming in following massive damage caused by floods in the Gisborne area, with repairs and clean-up costs estimated to be well over $10 million.
Torrential downpours and strong gales swept through the upper North Island causing flooding, power cuts and road closures, with the town of Te Karaka being completely cut off due to flooding from the Waipaoa River.
The storm and flooding has been classified as a medium-scale adverse event, and the Government has stepped in to offer assistance in wake of the second storm to hit the area within a week.
“We’ve had two weather events in the space of a week – the Tolaga Bay floods over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, with further storms hitting this week over Tolaga and other parts of Gisborne,” said Andrew Willock, partner at Gisborne-based insurance brokerage Emerre & Hathaway.
“The damage caused has been massive. It’s fairly early stages, but we’ve had a lot of claims coming through and we know there has been a lot of property damage – primarily to fences, floodgates and stock.”
“If you’ve experienced a loss, get ahold of your insurance company straight away and be sure to take photos of the damage,” he continued. “Weather events such as these always put a strain on resources and it can take time for assessors to get out there, so I would urge claimants to take lots of photos and get their claim on to the system as soon as possible.”
In wake of the storms, the Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) has reminded New Zealanders of the importance of preparing their homes for winter. Recommendations include trimming potentially dangerous overhanging tree branches, re-reading home insurance policies to understand excesses and levels of cover, and checking seals on windows, doors and roofs to avoid uninsurable gradual damage.
“To minimise the risk of anything going wrong, it’s important to get out and check how well-prepared your house is for winter before it gets too cold and damp for that to be possible,” said ICNZ chief executive Tim Grafton.
“A lot of winter accidents are preventable, so it’s important we do what we can to keep us and our properties safe.”
ICNZ expects preliminary figures for the Rotorua flooding, and final figures for cyclones Fehi and Gita, by the end of the month, and figures on the Gisborne flooding will come later down the line.
