Responding to damage caused by ex-tropical cyclone Jasper, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared the event an ‘Insurance Catastrophe’, noting that 3,800 claims have already been lodged across areas stretching from Cape York Peninsula to Mackay.
The ICA explained that under this Catastrophe declaration, claims from affected policyholders are given priority by insurers, and are triaged to direct urgent assistance to the worst-affected property owners.
The ICA said that representatives will be mobilised to work with local agencies and services and affected policyholders when safe to do so.
The Council also stated that insurers will mobilise disaster response specialists to assist affected customers with claims and assessments, while an industry taskforce has been established to identify and address issues arising from the catastrophe.
ICA COO, Kylie Macfarlane, commented, “Insurers are here to help Far North Queensland and stand ready to help impacted policyholders through this challenging time.
“The clean-up has begun, but the full impact is still unfolding. Insurers are well-prepared to respond, regardless of the Christmas break, and are on the ground to support policyholders get back on their feet following this devastating event.”
Macfarlane continued, “The most important step policyholders can take right now is to contact their insurer and get the claims process underway.
“Making a claim can happen at any point; you don’t need to know the extent of the damage, it simply gets the claim in the system and allows insurers to get moving on helping policyholders in their recovery.
“Customers should not be concerned about the reinsurance pool, it will not impact their ability to make a claim.”
