The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) and insurers will return to Port Pirie later this month and set up a dedicated insurance hub. The consultations are to help policyholders still dealing with claims from the severe storms that hit the region in late November.
The two-day hub, announced in an ICA media release, will give residents and businesses a chance to meet face-to-face with multiple insurers, press existing claims, lodge new ones and seek guidance on disputes and the claims process. The consultations will be held at the Royal Port Pirie Yacht Club in Solomontown.
The decision to come back signals that claims and recovery issues are still live in the market months later.
“The storm that impacted the Port Pirie region late last year brought strong winds and heavy rainfall, leaving widespread damage,” said Liam Walter (pictured), the ICA’s director of mitigation and extreme weather response.
According to ABC News reports, wind gusts reached 119km/h, roofs were torn off, trees and power lines came down and thousands of properties lost electricity as the storm tore through the region. The SA State Emergency Service received 170 calls for help in 12 hours and described it as the most significant storm event on record for the Port Pirie region. 4,900 households were reported as without power at the peak, while residents and local facilities were left facing major clean-up bills and business disruption.
“The ICA recognises the toll extreme weather takes on small communities, and insurers remain committed to supporting affected residents through the recovery process,” said Walter.
The ICA said locals will be able to sit down directly with insurer representatives, while ICA staff will be on hand to answer questions about claims, explain dispute-resolution pathways and provide broader insurance guidance.
Port Pirie could be a case study in what brokers and insurers are now dealing with across the country: medium-sized but destructive weather events that may not dominate national headlines for long yet still generate a drawn-out claims tail and a very public test of insurer responsiveness.
