Cyclone Marcia and Cyclone Lam Update

Cunningham Lindsey Catastrophe Team on the ground as the scale of damage from Cyclone Marcia and Cyclone Lam unfolds

When Cyclone Marcia hit the coastal town of Yeppoon, north of Rockhampton on Friday morning, winds had reached 285km/h. It is now estimated that 1,500 homes across Queensland were damaged by the Cyclone and an estimated 100 families have been left homeless due to severe property damage.

In the Northern Territory a State of Emergency has been declared following Cyclone Lam which has left two thirds of homes in the Galiwinku community damaged.

So far no fatalities or serious injuries have been recorded in either location.

The Cunningham Lindsey Catastrophe team has been on the ground and our Adjusters and Major & Complex Loss Team have been working through the weekend to provide prompt and compassionate assistance to those affected.

We are expecting a high volume of water damaged property claims and the Oriel Restoration Team will be available to assist with flood mitigation and general restoration services. Sergon Building Consultants have also joined the CAT team to prepare Scope of Works and Quantity Surveying Valuations to assist with major property claims.

Forensic Advisory Services specialise in business interruption and financial losses with extensive experience in catastrophe and will be providing expert forensic accounting services for both large and small claims.

For immediate assistance or further information please contact:

Stephen Fordham, Catastrophe Manager, Rockhampton – 07 4928 9199

Belina Powell, Area Manager North Queensland – 07 4772 4022

24/7 Customer Service Centre – 1800 811 285 or email [email protected]

Cunningham Lindsey on standby for Tropical Cyclone Marcia

Two Cyclones Tracking Towards NT & QLD – Catastrophe Response Team on Standby

Severe Tropical Cyclone Lam is approaching the coast of the NT causing destructive winds and heavy rain. Currently a category 3, BoM forecast that it could reach a category 4 early Friday (20th) morning as it crosses the isolated coast between Darwin and the Gulf of Capricorn.

Tropical Cyclone Marcia in the Coral Sea is tracking towards the QLD coast generating increasingly heavy showers. It is expected to cross the coast early Friday between Bundaberg and St Lawrence, bringing with it destructive winds, flooding and flash flooding with the possibility of as much as two months’ rain in a day to the south east area of the state. Queensland is bracing for its worst weather event in two years, reminiscent of the devastation caused in the 2011 floods, and again in 2012.

Cunningham Lindsey Response

We have significant number of local and interstate adjusters currently on standby should a catastrophe event occur. Our Catastrophe Management Team and primary Catastrophe office will be based in Brisbane if needed with satellite Catastrophe offices in areas where we have mobilised staff.

With a national footprint of 50 branches and over 500 employees, Cunningham Lindsey have the size, experience and capability to provide the human resources, logistical solutions and supporting systems for service excellence during a catastrophe event.

Major & Complex Loss (MCL) Team – Our Queensland MCL team, led by Brett Hanlon in Brisbane, are currently on the ground and ready to respond should a Catastrophe occur. A team of interstate MCL adjusters have been put on standby should additional support be required. Our specialist team of experts deliver the technical skills, industry specific knowledge and best practices to respond to losses of significant size and complexity.

Sergon Building Consultants – Sergon has a thorough understanding of the issues and cost escalation elements that may affect your claims. Sergon are available to prepare Causation Reports, Scopes of Works or Quantity Surveying Valuations to assist with major property claims.

Oriel Property Services – can provide fixed rate room restoration, flood mitigation and general restoration services. A project manager will be on site should you require restoration project management or mitigation works to be undertaken.

Forensic Advisory Services – Our qualified team of independent forensic accountants specialise in business interruption and financial losses with extensive experience in catastrophe and major loss quantification.

For immediate assistance or further information please contact your account manager, local office or below:

Brisbane office

Ph: 07 3121 6800

24/7 Customer Service Centre

Ph: 1800 877 285

E: [email protected]

Cunningham Lindsey Australia Catastrophe Response Update

2015 – 6 MONTHS, 6 CATASTROPHES

The Australian insurance industry has been faced with unprecedented claim volumes this year following six catastrophe events.

The Brisbane Hailstorm in November 2014 was shortly followed by the Adelaide Bushfires in January, Tropical Cyclone Marcia in February and with April came 3 separate storm catastrophes causing widespread damage throughout NSW and South East Queensland. During this time, other events included Tropical Cyclone Olwyn in Western Australia and 2 severe hailstorms in Chinchilla and Narribri, all causing extensive damage within these
communities.

Damage in the most recent events has ranged from minor water damage to carpets, impact by trees and windblown debris, right through to flood damage of entire homes and even total commercial building collapse under weight of hail. In unique circumstances, the East Coast Low in April resulted in an increase in deterioration of food and business interruption claims due to the extended loss of power.

PROVIDING IMMEDIATE & EFFECTIVE SUPPORT

To meet the high demands generated by the combined catastrophes we have had to manage an evolving response for our Clients. We already operate our own 24/7 Customer Services Centre in Wollongong which proved invaluable when each event struck allowing us to handle all new enquiries and attend to emergency needs. This team also undertake initial triage calls to ensure priorities are given to those worst affected customers where our early help is critical.

We also established Catastrophe Management Offices for each event and continue to run three CAT offices in Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane. We mobilised teams including technical loss adjusters, restorers, building consultants, engineers and forensic accountants to provide immediate assistance in the wake of these significant events.

With the help of our Cunningham Lindsey colleagues in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the US, we have been able to get more Adjusters on the ground, bring in additional specialist expertise, and have round the clock administration support that is vital in the early stages of customer contact, initial inspections, establishment of mitigation and eventual reporting.

OUR FOCUS ON CUSTOMER CARE AND COMMUNICATION

The combination of these events has generated record volumes of claims being handled within Cunningham Lindsey and our various divisions. We recognise that a genuine focus on customer service is critical at all stages of each claim and in early April we established Customer Care Teams in Melbourne, Parramatta, Adelaide and Brisbane. These teams are staffed with a mix of new and existing staff managing predominantly “business as usual”
claims which are nearing finalisation and are working with the objectives of:

• Pro-actively managing claim activity

• Improving customer communication

• Driving supplier management

• Reducing claim life

We are already seeing the benefit of reducing the workload on our Adjusters and supporting them as they continue to offer real value in the earlier stages of the new event claims. In addition to our Customer Care Teams, we have also increased the number of casual support staff where needed and are working significant overtime in our regional branches to ensure we service our existing customers’ claims.

WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS

Forensic Advisory Services 

Our forensic accounting division have been engaged in all of the events, particularly in the larger losses where business interruption and stock reconciliations are major elements.

Due to the high volume of minor loss of trade claims following the power outages across NSW, we have expanded our Small Claims Team with the support of our New Zealand colleagues.

Oriel Property Services

Given the number of water damage losses, our Oriel Restoration team have seen their highest volume of jobs in their history. It is pleasing to see more than 30 restoration firms were able to be mobilised quickly to attend to the needs of many homeowners and businesses.

To increase our capacity, we are working with our UK colleagues remotely which allows us to effectively operate through the night in processing the documentation that supports each site.

Managed Repair Services

This centralised team based in Parramatta manages low value building claims and has doubled their capacity to service their Clients and their customers’ claims.

Sergon

Our established team of building consultants have been working across all of the events, particularly where project management is required for some of our larger losses. The Quantity Surveying unit has been heavily involved in supporting the quantification of our larger structural losses.

EFI Global

In a first for Cunningham Lindsey in Australia, a team of 3 environmental engineers have arrived from the US to support Sergon with some of our more technical losses associated with mould and asbestos.

Working closely with our Sergon Project Managers, we have been able to draw on their expertise to deliver refined outcomes that are making a difference in our approach to complex situations.

24/7 Emergency Assistance

Cunningham Lindsey have a fully staffed call centre that operates every minute of the year. You can reach us for any emergency on 1800 811 285 where you will speak to an experienced team member who can source the assistance needed from our Loss Adjusters or our emergency trade team at Oriel.

Further information

If you would like to learn more about how we are managing the response to these events, please speak directly with your Account Manager or our key staff listed below:

Brad Mountford
Head of Business Development
T: +61 411 047 926 E: [email protected]

Brian Doughty
Head of Strategic Client Management
T: +61 417 238 083 E: [email protected]

Amy King
Client Account Manager – Oriel
T: 1300 654 599 E: [email protected]

Susan McBride
Client Services Manager – Sergon
T: 1300 735 720 E: [email protected]

Bob Richards recognised with Order of Australia Award

Congratulations to Bob Richards of Major and Complex Loss Australia in Melbourne

Bob was awarded the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his half-century of service to the Sandringham community, including the East Sandringham junior footy club, and 28-year involvement with Rotary and Apex service clubs.

A key passion is Rotary’s hallmark project to eradicate global polio.

Bob took part in a national polio immunisation day in the Moradabad slums in India last year and is going back on February 13, with his wife Jill. “We’ve organised toilets and deep-water pumps for 35 slum areas, funded by Rotary District 9810 [of which he was district governor in 2006-07],” Bob has said. “We will also look into literacy programs over there.”

He said he was shocked to be acknowledged for doing what he considers just being a good citizen and said “I was born and bred in Sandy and just want to put something back.”

“Storm of the Century” Strikes NSW Coast and the Hunter Region

Cyclonic conditions wreaked havoc on the Hunter, Sydney, Central Coast and Illawarra regions yesterday with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting conditions to continue today.

Relentless and destructive winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding have affected the areas leaving over 200,000 homes without power and forcing over 100 people to be rescued from floodwaters.

Emergency Services have responded to more than 8,000 calls for help resulting from flash flooding, fallen trees and downed power lines. Residents nearby the Manly Dam have been given an evacuation warning and major flood warnings are in place for the Paterson and Williams Rivers and in the lower Hunter River in Maitland.

The event has been declared a catastrophe by the ICA and over 19,500 insurance claims have been received already. We have mobilised a dedicated Catastrophe Response Team which includes our Major & Complex Loss (MCL) Team who are highly experienced in the complexities of severe storm losses. All will be working hard to provide a swift response to customers.

Our industry leading catastrophe response plan is designed to ensure that careful triage when processing claims is taken as well as the effective management of all suppliers involved throughout the claim.

Sergon – Our building consultants have a thorough understanding of the issues and costs escalation elements that may affect your claim. Sergon are available to prepare Causation Reports, Scope of Works or Quantity Surveying Valuations to assist with major property claims.

Oriel Property Services – Can provide fixed rate room restoration, flood mitigation and general restoration services. A project manager will be onsite should you require restoration project management or mitigation works to be undertaken.

Forensic Advisory Services – Our qualified team of independent forensic accountants specialise in business interruption and financial losses with extensive experience in catastrophe and major loss quantification.

For immediate assistance or further information please contact your Account Manager, local office or below:

Greenwich Office
02 9934 5000

Newcastle Office
02 4940 0206

24/7 Customer Service Centre
1800 877 285 or
[email protected]

Catastrophe Client Managers
Brian Doughty – 0417 238 083 or
Katrina Pobre – 0420 960 023