The Insurance Council of New Zealand Te Kāhui Inihua o Aotearoa (ICNZ) has urged Aucklanders affected by the current severe weather system to put their safety first and foremost, heed the advice of local authorities, and contact their insurers early.
ICNZ chief executive Tim Grafton said that this rings especially true for those who need temporary accommodation or emergency repairs, the latter of which should only be done if it is safe.
“Stay out of flood water and always treat it as contaminated if it is in, or has been through, your home or vehicle,” Grafton said in a news release. In events like these, ICNZ said that insurers will be readying their call centres to arrange for staff to help customers, although the quickest way to lodge a claim is still through the insurer’s website.
“Insurers will do their best to get on top of new claims but they do come on top of more than 100,000 already this year for climate events,” Grafton said. “Tradies and building materials are already in very high demand and we have to remain realistic about how long things can take to dry out and put right.”
Auckland is currently under a state of emergency as the MetService issued an orange heavy rain warning and severe thunderstorm watch for the area, including Aotea Great Barrier Island.
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