The Insurance Council of New Zealand is advising Northlanders affected by Friday's heavy rain and flooding to be safe when recovering belongings damaged in the flooding and to contact their insurer as soon as possible.
A car drives through flooding on State Highway 1 in Northland on Saturday. Photo: RNZ / Sarah Robson
The council also recommended that any residents displaced by the flooding should contact their insurance company as they may be able to access temporary accommodation under their house or contents policy.
If you have suffered flood damage, the council urged you follow these steps to help speed up recovery:
- Do not do anything that puts your safety at risk or causes more damage to your property
- Contact your insurer or broker as soon as possible to start the claims process
- Take photos of damaged property to help speed up the assessments and claims process, and if safe keep damaged items for assessment by your insurer
- Don't enter flood water, and don't operate cars or electrical appliances that may have been flooded
- Get essential services repaired and keep copies of invoices
- Make your home safe and sanitary but don't do non-essential repairs
- Always wear protective gear, including gloves and masks, in case you're exposed to hazardous material
ICNZ encouraged people affected to contact their insurance company as soon as they can for arrangements to be made to assess the damage or losses and progress claims.