ICA declares catastrophe for Queensland’s Halloween hailstorms

The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared a Catastrophe for damage caused by the hailstorms that struck south-east Queensland on October 31.

Nearly 60 percent of claims are for damage to motor vehicles, and 40 percent for damage to houses – mainly to roofs, skylights and solar panels, and interior damage to a significant proportion of homes.

ICA CEO Andrew Hall said insurers’ call centres were standing by to help customers affected by the storms. He encouraged householders whose properties had been damaged to contact their insurer as soon as they were able.

Hardest-hit suburbs include Springfield, Rosewood, Greenbank and Boronia Heights.

Insured losses have already reached $60 million within a day of the event. Hall noted that insurers were expecting an influx of claims as householders and businesses inspected the damage and contacted their insurers or insurance brokers.

This is the first Catastrophe declaration for the 2020-21 natural disaster season. The previous disaster season was the worst on record, resulting in more than $5.9 billion in insurance claims from bushfires, storms, hailstorms and floods.

South-east Queensland has been hit by many powerful hailstorms in recent years, notably the 2014 Brisbane hailstorm, which caused more than $1.5 billion in claims, and the hailstorm that hit the region last November, which resulted in losses of $504 million. The Rockhampton hailstorm in April caused $503 million in insured damage.

“The Catastrophe declaration means insurers will prioritise claims from these hail-affected areas and will direct urgent attention to those most in need of assistance,” said Hall. “Householders should contact their insurers before commissioning any repairs to their homes. They should ensure this work will be paid for under the policy.”