The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe for parts of South Australia, which were hit by significant hail, rain, and strong winds over the past 24 hours.
Insurers have received more than 12,000 claims so far and this number is expected to rise over coming days.
At this time, most claims are from policyholders from areas including the Barossa Valley, Elizabeth, the Adelaide Hills, Salisbury, Craigmore and surrounding areas, according to the ICA.
Motor vehicle claims are two-thirds of those currently lodged and crop losses from the Barossa Valley region are expected to be substantial, added the ICA.
Insurers currently anticipate the need to deploy up to 80 specialist assessment and recovery personnel from other states, including from Victoria and New South Wales.
Under South Australia’s current border regime these insurance disaster responders would be subject to a range of COVID-19 restrictions, including prohibiting entry altogether or having to quarantine for 14 days.
The ICA said it is engaging with the South Australian Government to allow these essential personnel to enter South Australia to operate and support impacted communities in their recovery.
The ICA will continue to monitor the impact of storms and strong winds in Victoria to ascertain whether the insurance catastrophe declaration should be widened to include impacted areas in that state.
The ICA’s catastrophe declaration serves to escalate and prioritize the insurance industry’s response for affected policyholders.
Source: Insurance Council of Australia
Topics Catastrophe Windstorm Australia
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