Insurers have taken action following the recent storm and flooding in southeast Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) by offering support for affected customers while monitoring the situation.
Suncorp Group (Suncorp) – which received more than 15,000 claims as of March 3 – announced that its claims specialists are available to help the customers of Suncorp Insurance, AAMI, Apia, GIO, and Shannons to lodge their claim face-to-face at the Gympie Civic Centre, Caboolture Hub (Learning & Business Centre), and the Redcliffe Show Grounds.
Suncorp head of disaster response Cath Stewart said the Suncorp team can also help affected customers understand the claims process and arrange emergency repairs, organise temporary accommodation for customers whose homes have been severely damaged, and provide cash payments to make emergency purchases.
“Customers can lodge their claims online. You don't need to be at home or have a copy of your policy to lodge your claim – we will have your details. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can start the recovery process,” Stewart said.
Suncorp accessors are also on the ground to conduct inspections and contact customers to arrange a time to visit their homes. Meanwhile, Suncorp Bank announced that it offers a disaster relief package to personal and business customers impacted by the weather event.
NRMA Insurance, backed by Insurance Australia Group (IAG), joined the group in offering support to customers by deploying its helicopter in partnership with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) to help flood-affected communities in the state.
The NRMA Insurance helicopter, a specialised firefighting aircraft that can be repurposed to help during severe weather events, is transporting NSW SES volunteer rescue teams and essential supplies to isolated communities and providing critical flood intelligence across affected areas.
The insurer added that its major events team provides immediate support to affected customers, including temporary accommodation and emergency funds.
“We have increased our call centre capacity to help affected customers lodge claims as soon as possible, and we've allocated additional staff to our claims and repair teams,” said NRMA Insurance executive manager David Wilkes. “We have secured additional temporary accommodation for customers displaced from their homes, and our assessors and repairers are on the ground where it is safe to access impacted areas. We will move into other regions once floodwaters recede.”
Meanwhile, PetSure offered assurances to “fur parents” that it will cover the cost of emergency boarding across all pet insurance policies administered by the insurer until March 30, 2022.
“This applies to insured pets that have been directly affected by the floods, regardless of the policy type,” a PetSure spokesperson said. “At PetSure, the welfare of our customers and their pets is our priority.”
