Insurers have received more than 2,000 claims from Queensland flooding, including in the Bundaberg region and Burnett River catchment, and are supporting customers on the ground at the recovery centre in Bundaberg.
Since declaring the major flooding across the region a Significant Event last Tuesday, insurers have been deploying assessors, fast-tracking claims and working directly with policyholders to help communities begin recovery.
Insurers with customers in the impacted areas are making direct contact and the Insurance Council is urging anyone with damage to contact their insurer as soon as possible to begin the claims process.
The Insurance Council continues to work closely with emergency services and government agencies to coordinate the industry's response and ensure affected communities are getting the support they need.
While the priority is on recovery, this event underscores the urgent need for resilience investment in flood-affected communities, including Bundaberg.
The Burnett River floodplain has experienced repeated major flood events in recent years, including Tropical Cyclones Debbie, Marcia, and significant flooding in 2020 and 2021, making Bundaberg one of the most flood-exposed regional cities in Australia.
The insurance industry continues to prioritise supporting customers during this challenging period in their lives and is committed to its ongoing engagement with all levels of government to improve insurance affordability.
Quotes attributable to ICA CEO Andrew Hall:
Our priority right now is making sure flood-affected Queenslanders are supported.
We know how distressing this is for families and businesses across the Bundaberg region.
Insurers are on the ground and we want people to know help is available, contact your insurer and make a claim as soon as it is safe to do so.
Those impacted by flooding should contact their insurer and begin making a claim as soon as it is safe to do so.
While some mitigation exists, the proposed 1.7 kilometre Bundaberg East Levee, first put forward in 2014, is yet to be built.
Had the levee been constructed when originally proposed, the losses experienced in this event could have been avoided.
Investment in resilience infrastructure is the only way to break the cycle of repeated disaster and recovery.
