Storm damage claims unresolved
Nearly a dozen claims for damage from an ex-cyclone that lashed the Nelson region remain unsettled eight months on.
Of 241 claims lodged from Nelson city and Tasman district after the tail end of cyclone Gita hit in February, 230 have been resolved, the Earthquake Commission says.
A total of $6,425,739 was paid out for the 271 claims closed across the country, with Nelson and Tasman the only region where claims were outstanding, the crown entity said.
Slips and flooding caused damage to homes and properties in pockets of Tasman when heavy rain lashed the region on February 20.
The commission wouldn’t reveal what was holding up the 11 remaining claims, saying only it was ‘‘continuing to work with the customers to reach a settlement.’’
On February 1, scores of homes were flooded by the sea in the Nelson suburb of Monaco and Ruby Bay in Tasman when the remnants of cyclone Fehi hit. All 77 claims from the region for Fehi had been resolved, the commission said.
It said it had resolved 1120 of the 1333 claims received for the storm events that crossed the country between January and September, paying out a total of just over $17 million. The average time for settlement was 69 days.
The highest number of claims for all events was 332 for the Auckland district, followed by 300 lodged in Tasman district, 89 for Wellington, 61 for Rotorua, and 58 for Nelson city. EQC covers damage to land from storms and floods, and damage to land, homes and contents from slips.