We’ve been nicknamed the Sunshine State, but us Queenslanders know how quickly blue skies can turn into a damaging thunderstorm. 

If your home, car or possessions have been impacted by severe weather, it’s important to ensure you prioritise the safety of you and your loved ones before anything else.

Once it is safe and you are ready to assess the damage to your property, it can be daunting knowing where to start.

RACQ Insurance has provided some advice on what steps you can take after a storm and what to expect if you do need to lodge a claim.

Safety first

After any severe weather event, the immediate priority is the safety of yourself and your loved ones. If you require urgent assistance, please contact SES on 132 500, or if you see an electrical risk call Energex on 13 19 62. If your situation is life-threatening always call 000.

Pay attention to advice from emergency services and local authorities to ensure it is safe to return to your property and that the threat of more severe weather has passed.

Keep an eye out for any potential safety hazards, including electrical appliances that may be wet and only re-enter your property if it is safe to do so.

If you can re-enter your home and rain has stopped, make sure to air-out and ventilate damp areas by opening windows and doors.

Once it’s safe to start the clean-up process, ensure you wear clothing that covers your skin and always have protective footwear on. Try to avoid directly exposing yourself to flood water where possible.

Record the damage

Making notes and taking photos of any belongings or assets that may have been damaged will make it easier to lodge a claim if required.

Here is a list of some of the steps you can take:

• Dispose of food waste or other materials that may be an immediate health hazard.
• Take photos of damaged goods such as carpets and curtains before removing them from your home. 
• Record serial/model numbers and take photos of damaged appliances before removal.
• Make a list of essentials you will need to replace such as bedding, clothing and food. Keep all receipts from these purchases.

Inspect your car before starting it

If your vehicle has been damaged during a severe weather event, it’s important to ensure it is safe to start before turning the key.

If there has been any water in the interior of the car, the engine bar or exhaust, do not start or drive it.

Remove any personal items from the car, including toll tags and garage remotes.

Where possible, take photos of the exterior and interior of the vehicle (through windows is fine) and if the water line is visible be sure to capture this as well.

Lodging a claim

RACQ Insurance will be with you every step of the way if you are in the unfortunate situation of having to lodge a claim following a severe weather event.

The quickest way to lodge your RACQ Insurance claim is using our online form.

If you’re unable to use our online form, call us or visit us in-store and we’ll help you as much as we can from there.

To make the process smoother, have these items on-hand before contacting us:

• Your customer reference or member number
• A brief description of when the damage occurred and photos of what you want to claim
• Names, phone numbers and addresses of any relevant parties

What happens after the claim has been lodged?

Here are the key steps that happen after you lodge your claim with RACQ Insurance. Every situation is different so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about your individual claim. 

Make-safe work

If your home is damaged and requires urgent repairs, RACQ Insurance will arrange temporary repair works on your property as soon as it is safe. This can include securing doors and windows, installing temporary tarps on roofs, ensuring the structure is safe and removing any trees that may have fallen on your home. 

Assessing the damage

An insurance assessor or builder will then be arranged to attend your home to assess and quantify the impact of the weather. After the assessment, a ‘scope of works’ and quote will be provided to RACQ outlining the cost of damage to your property. 

Claim decision and outcome

RACQ Insurance will review the assessment and the ‘scope of works’ to confirm what you are covered for, before communicating this decision. 

Once a decision has been made to accept your claim, RACQ will authorise a quality builder to start the repairs. You may also choose a cash settlement to organise repairs with your own preferred builder. 

It’s important to note that RACQ Insurance uses a range of repairers and builders, so a builder may contact you once the claim decision has been finalised. However, RACQ will never send a tradesperson or builder to your home without notifying you or providing details. 

If you are ever unsure about contact being made by a third-party, you can always call RACQ Insurance independently on 13 1702 to confirm details of your claims progress.