Tuesday, 12 March 2024
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and insurers are holding a second round of community consultations in south-east Queensland next week to provide ongoing support for customers affected by the Christmas and New Year storms.
Since the storm, insurers and the ICA have been at recovery centres actively supporting customers impacted by the severe storms that hit a large part of the region from 23 December 2023 to 3 January 2024.
The consultations will take place in Jimboomba, Upper Coomera and Tamborine between 19 and 21 March and follow events held in January.
Last week the ICA released new data that shows the impact of the storm, with 18,000 new claims lodged in the past month. Insured losses for the Christmas and New Year storms have reach $968 million from nearly 90,000 claims.
The insurer-run consultations are part of the normal catastrophe declaration process and gives customers the opportunity to hear more about the claims process generally as well as speak with their insurer directly about their claim.
Event details below:
- JIMBOOMBA - Tuesday 19th March, 8.30am - 5pm
Jimboomba Community and District Hall - UPPER COOMERA - Wednesday 20th March, 9am - 6pm
The Well Community Centre - TAMBORINE - Thursday 21st March, 7.30am - 3pm
Vonda Youngman Centre
Bookings are now available and policyholders are encouraged to book an appointment at www.insurancecouncil.com.au/bookings
The ICA encourages impacted policyholders to contact their insurer at any stage if they have questions or require an update on the claims process.
Quote attributable to ICA CEO Andrew Hall:
The number of claims from this event have continued to climb, highlighting the significant impact this storm had on households and businesses in south-east Queensland.
Insurers remain committed to assisting impacted customers to get back into their homes safely and as quickly as possible, which is why providing guidance and support on the claims process at these in-person events is so important.
We know that 28 per cent of claims have already been closed, which shows that insurers are actively working with local authorities, builders, suppliers, and engineers to expedite repairs to get communities back on their feet.