The people behind our disaster response
Meet Terry, one of our dedicated Major Events specialists who helps our customers when the unexpected happens
At IAG, our purpose is to make your world a safer place, and responding quickly and effectively to natural disasters is what IAG does best.
IAG has a dedicated Major Events team so that we're always ready to support our customers no matter when or where a disaster strikes across the country.
As an IAG Major Events Specialist, Terry Cheng is one of our first people on-the-ground to lead our response following a severe weather event. Often, he will be supporting our people and customers at a Disaster Recovery Centre or even driving our Major Events Rapid Response Vehicle (MERRV) to provide face-to-face support to help customers lodge a claim as quickly and safely as possible.
Terry has seen it all during his career in Major Events: "I have seen cyclones, bushfires, floods, pretty much everything that can happen in the disaster and events space," he said.
"I will never forget the Black Summer bushfires in 2019/2020. This disaster for us first started in Northern NSW around the town of Rapville, and by the end of the fire season it had made its way across New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia.
"During this time, many of our claims teams travelled to some of the worst impacted bushfire areas including Bega, Ulladulla and Cobargo in NSW and Mallacoota in Victoria. We met with more than 2,500 customers in these communities and it was devastating to hear the stories of people who lost their homes or were facing an uncertain future.
"The Black Summer bushfires certainly taught me a lot about how we can band together as a community to support each other following an extraordinary natural disaster."
We are often at the forefront when disasters strike and I'm proud of the role we play in assisting customers during their toughest moments.Terry Cheng
IAG Major Events Specialist
When a disaster strikes, specialists from across IAG come together to support the Major Events team to ensure we can provide the help and support our customers need, with a focus on mobilising our teams to the worst-affected areas to provide face-to-face support for as many people as possible. This includes providing temporary accommodation and immediate financial support.
"Our dedicated Major Events Claims response team is resourced year-round. It ramps up during a disaster, with a focus on having our people on the ground early and then throughout the following months supporting our customers on their road to recovery," Terry said.
"And while COVID-19 has made it difficult this year for our teams to travel and visit our customers in person, we have been able to scale our virtual assessments for property claims to keep things moving for our customers."
