Storm insurance claims flood in
Flooding caused by rain from the remnants of Cyclone Debbie has prompted a flurry of calls to insurers’ claims lines.
Giant Australian insurer IAG, which owns the State and NZI brands, said the total cost of claims would not be known for some time, but Cyclone Debbie’s impact was more widespread than the rains that caused flooding in Auckland in March.
AA Insurance spokeswoman Amelia Macandrew said that it had already received more claims for the remnants of Cyclone Debbie than it had from the floods in March.
‘‘Our claims team has been busy since this morning dealing with flood and storm-related claims,’’ she said yesterday. ‘‘More bad weather is on the way with heavy rain predicted, so we expect that claims will rise as the rain moves across the country.’’
Suncorp spokesman Tony Reid said only about 100 storm-related claims calls had been received, but ‘‘the event is still unfolding’’.
Suncorp owns Vero in New Zealand.
IAG spokesman Craig Dowling said the storm still had a sting in the tail, with more heavy rain expected in some areas.
‘‘As a result it will be a while before we can assess the insurance cost of damage,’’ Dowling said.
About 100 claims had been received by early morning yesterday, almost entirely for water damage sustained in the Northland and Auckland regions, he said.
‘‘But we anticipate that the geographic spread of claims and claim numbers will broaden considerably through the day and as claims come in over the remainder of the week.’’
Both insurers said their main focus was on advising homeowners to stay safe, and where possible to limit water damage.
This included people threatened with flooding moving valuables out of harm’s way.
Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton said: ‘‘If you can, get as much of your home contents out of harm’s way, secure heavy outdoor objects and park vehicles in garages if possible.’’
He warned homeowners not to risk their safety, and especially to avoid entering flood water, either on foot, or in a vehicle.
‘‘Try to make the buildings safe and weatherproof, but don’t make any emergency repairs unless it is safe to do so,’’ Grafton said.
Homeowners should not start non-essential repairs without their insurer’s approval, he said.
Dowling said said people should also photograph damage and flooding. ‘‘For the purposes of validating their claim later on, they should take plenty of photos to assist with any subsequent claims process,’’ he said.