Wednesday, 5 October 2022
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is urging community members to prepare as forecasters warn of a high risk of flooding across New South Wales in the coming days.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned a succession of three rainfall systems will bring downpours across the east of the country this week with parts of NSW already being hit with heavy showers and thunderstorms.
A second weather system is expected to bring storms, rain and bursts of heavy falls from Queensland to Southern Victoria from Thursday night and into Friday.
With a high chance that numerous catchments will flood, the Insurance Council is urging people to heed warnings and stay safe.
In the event of flooding, the Insurance Council urges people to:
- Stay safe – don’t do anything that puts anyone at risk
- If you have to evacuate, only return when emergency services agree it is safe
- If water has entered your property, don’t turn on your electricity until it has been inspected by an electrician
- Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to lodge a claim and seek guidance on the claims process
- Don’t worry if you can’t find your insurance papers. Insurers have electronic records and need only your name and address
- Property owners who have sustained roof damage should advise their insurer
- Don’t drive your vehicle if it has suffered water damage
- Do not drive in flood water.
The warning comes as Australia enters its third consecutive La Niña season, meaning much of the country can expect a rainy end to 2022.
The 2021 and 2022 combined insurance damage bill for La Niña generated east coast storm and flooding is at $5.92 billion with more than 296,000 claims lodged.
Comment attributable to Kylie Macfarlane, COO Insurance Council of Australia:
The Insurance Council is keeping a close watch on this unfolding weather event and are urging residents to prepare and above all put their safety first.
If your property is impacted, please contact your insurer as soon as possible to commence the claims process, even if you don’t know the full extent of the damage.
Insurers are well prepared to respond to these events, but it is clear the community needs to be better protected from worsening extreme weather and that requires greater investment in mitigation and resilience.
