West Coast faces "significant infrastructure issues" as first claims come in

The State of Emergency has been lifted on the West Coast following record rainfall and extreme flooding over the past week.

Mayor Bruce Smith and Deputy Mayor Latham Martin have said that the next step is to transition into the recovery phase, which will be led by Vern Morris, interim recovery manager, and Claire Brown from the West Coast Civil Defence and Emergency Department.

The Westland District Council stated that “significant infrastructure and welfare issues” are present across the district, but that there is “no immediate threat to life or property in the region.”

Insurers are starting to see the first claims come in, and both insurers and brokers are getting out to meet with clients, assess damage and help with claims. Rural insurer FMG has just under 200 clients in the West Coast region, which is one of the most remote and least populated areas of the country. An FMG spokesperson confirmed to Insurance Business that they’ve had approximately 13 claims so far.

“The general feeling among our West Coast Clients is fairly upbeat, given the huge volume of rain that has fallen,” Hayden Dunne, FMG Area Manager West Coast said.

“One farmer mentioned he had even found some baleage washed up on the nearby beach. While it’s still early, we’ve had no reports of major damage to farm buildings or property. To date we’ve received around 13 claims, with a mix of flooding, storm damage and business interruption due to access being hampered. We expect to receive a few more claims in the coming week.”

The Insurance Council of new Zealand (ICNZ) released a statement encouraging the community to look out for each other, and to be well prepared and make properties as storm-proof as possible.

“MetService have noted this storm is in part due to warm marine weather, which is something we expect to see more of as climate change progresses,” ICNZ chief executive Tim Grafton said.

“Our West Coast is particularly vulnerable to these sorts of weather fronts, so it’s important the council and communities have conversations about risk and resilience and how they can begin planning and adapting for these sorts of events to reduce the likelihood of future property losses.”