Sunday, 2 February 2025
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a ‘significant event’ for regions of North Queensland impacted by significant storm and flooding over the past few days.
The ICA's preliminary catastrophe processes have been activated, assisting the ICA and insurers to assess the insurance impact of the current flood event.
Under a significant event declaration:
- The ICA commences its claims data collection, analysis, and reporting processes in consultation with members.
- ICA representatives will continue to work with government and agencies to understand impacts on the community and ensure affected residents receive assistance.
This event may be escalated to an insurance catastrophe if there is a significant increase in claim numbers or complexity, if the geographical spread of this event is extended or in consultation with insurers.
The impact of flooding has been felt most significantly in communities in and around Townsville, Innisfail, Ingham, Gordonvale and Cardwell, however all regions impacted by flood in North Queensland and Far North Queensland since Wednesday 29 January fall under the significant event declaration.
This remains an unfolding weather event and insurers’ priority is community safety. We strongly encourage all those impacted to put their safety first and adhere to evacuations orders.
If your property has been impacted, please contact your insurer as soon as possible to commence the claims process, even if you do not know the full extent of damage.
Quotes attributable to ICA CEO Andrew Hall:
The volume and intensity of this weather has already caused damage across parts of northern Queensland with the risk of flash flooding expected to continue in the coming days.
Insurers understand the impact of these extreme weather events and will be move quickly to ensure communities receive the assistance they need as soon as possible. We are working with the Queensland authorities and will keep the community updated as situations evolve.
Safety is our number one priority, so we urge residents in these areas to remain alert and listen to the advice of local emergency services.