Massive backlog of insurance claims leaves homeowners in limbo after huge storms

But October 29 storm was just the start of her ongoing nightmare.

The animal lover and dedicated vet nurse had a brood of dogs, birds and reptiles to take care of while her home was waiting for major repairs.

"Finding appropriate accommodation has been very hard," she said.

"The insurance company is happy to provide something - but not every accommodation place will accept animals like mine.

"My insurance didn't even cover animal accommodation - which is something I even thought about when I took it out."

Nine months on, no repairs have begun on her home between Blackwood and Greendale in the shire's heavily-forested north.

She has credited AAMI for their communication and offers of counselling - but says the insurer has been hampered by the lack of builders, lack of building materials and the backlog caused by natural disasters in other parts of Australia.

Meanwhile, her beloved home is leaking, becoming mouldy and facing an array of other issues.

"Even though there are tarps on the property, they're not a perfect solution and rain still gets in."

Laura said she would like to thank local CFA volunteers who were first on the scene at 7am, after her driveway was blocked with trees.

"They took the trees, but couldn't touch the house because it needed to be assessed by the insurance agency," she said.

"They even dropped in a week later to see if I was okay."

She said the damage was caused by a large tree that fell 'uphill' in the strong winds, pushing over others - and eventually her house - in a domino effect.

The Insurance Council of Australia says 34,000 claims were lodged nationally as a result of the June storms - with a current insurance loss value of $302 million.

"Later in 2021, the ICA declared an Insurance Catastrophe on 29 October for storm activity in South Australia - and this severe weather tracked into Victoria," a spokesperson said.

"The Insurance Catastrophe was extended on 1 November 2021 to include areas in Victoria hit by another severe weather event.

"As of May 2022, the number of claims received across Victoria and South Australia are 103,000 - with estimated insurance losses at $762 million."

The council said many areas affected by the June storms also then bore brunt of more storms later in the year.

"This event created new property damage and compounded damage sustained to many properties during the June event," the spokesperson said.

"Repairs and rebuilds to property have been impacted in the area by the complex nature of the property damage, the accessibility of properties and the difficult terrain many properties are located and surrounded by."

If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.