Latest news with #CycloneAlfred
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Insurance claims for wild weather damage this year already exceed 2024 total
Insurance claims for wild weather in the first five months of this year have already surpassed 2024 for at least one major insurer, as the community tallies the cost of Cyclone Alfred and the NSW floods. NRMA Insurance said it had received 32,000 claims for wild weather-related damage to both vehicles and property between January and May this year, including cyclones, devastating floods, damaging winds and storms. While unusually high, it did not surpass the 53,716 claims in the first five months of 2022 for damage from widespread floods and an east coast low. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said Australia needed to reduce emissions to limit further climate warming, while also mounting a strong national adaptation effort to protect the nation against the risks that were already here. 'It's no surprise the damage bill is mounting,' Kean said. 'This underscores the need for practical action like updating building codes and extending cyclone construction standards further down the coast.' Loading The Albanese government has invested $27.4 million in Australia's first-ever National Climate Risk Assessment and a related National Adaptation Plan, but it is yet to be released. The Climate Change Authority will on Thursday publish a report examining the perils of climate change for home owners, including the implications of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred and expectations of more southerly cyclones. CSIRO research suggests every $1 invested in climate resilience saves up to $11 in recovery costs. Alfred was the first cyclone to threaten South East Queensland and northern NSW in 50 years. Peter Chan, a meteorologist and executive manager with NRMA's natural perils team, said back in 1974 when Cyclone Zoe and Cyclone Wanda hit, there were 2 million people living in South East Queensland and now there were 4 million. By 2046, the population of the region is expected to grow to 6 million. NRMA Insurance covers every state and territory except Victoria, where IAG insurance is sold by RACV. Chan said Queensland experienced its worst season for wild weather claims back to at least 2017 – and that it took just 66 days for the state to surpass its total claims due to weather damage in 2024.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Insurance claims for wild weather damage this year already exceed 2024 total
Insurance claims for wild weather in the first five months of this year have already surpassed 2024 for at least one major insurer, as the community tallies the cost of Cyclone Alfred and the NSW floods. NRMA Insurance said it had received 32,000 claims for wild weather-related damage to both vehicles and property between January and May this year, including cyclones, devastating floods, damaging winds and storms. While unusually high, it did not surpass the 53,716 claims in the first five months of 2022 for damage from widespread floods and an east coast low. Climate Change Authority chair Matt Kean said Australia needed to reduce emissions to limit further climate warming, while also mounting a strong national adaptation effort to protect the nation against the risks that were already here. 'It's no surprise the damage bill is mounting,' Kean said. 'This underscores the need for practical action like updating building codes and extending cyclone construction standards further down the coast.' Loading The Albanese government has invested $27.4 million in Australia's first-ever National Climate Risk Assessment and a related National Adaptation Plan, but it is yet to be released. The Climate Change Authority will on Thursday publish a report examining the perils of climate change for home owners, including the implications of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred and expectations of more southerly cyclones. CSIRO research suggests every $1 invested in climate resilience saves up to $11 in recovery costs. Alfred was the first cyclone to threaten South East Queensland and northern NSW in 50 years. Peter Chan, a meteorologist and executive manager with NRMA's natural perils team, said back in 1974 when Cyclone Zoe and Cyclone Wanda hit, there were 2 million people living in South East Queensland and now there were 4 million. By 2046, the population of the region is expected to grow to 6 million. NRMA Insurance covers every state and territory except Victoria, where IAG insurance is sold by RACV. Chan said Queensland experienced its worst season for wild weather claims back to at least 2017 – and that it took just 66 days for the state to surpass its total claims due to weather damage in 2024.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Brisbane rates to increase $1.14 per week, lord mayor reveals
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has announced, via social media, that average rates will increase 3.87 per cent this financial year – the equivalent of $1.14 a week. In a video posted to Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday morning, the lord mayor said Brisbane's rates would remain the lowest in south-east Queensland. 'We've been able to keep rates down by only spending what we can afford,' he said, ahead of formally handing down the budget. However, the rate rise – which amounts to an average increase of $55 a year – is above the city's 2.7 per cent annual inflation rate. In comparison, the Gold Coast's rates will increase by 2.7 per cent but will include a one-off $10 levy to cover the Cyclone Alfred clean-up, and 3.8 per cent in Moreton. In the council's last sitting before the budget, Schrinner revealed Brisbane residents would not be charged levies for damage caused by Cyclone Alfred, infrastructure, or transport costs. Schrinner told Tuesday's council meeting he would honour his election commitment to avoid adding additional charges to annual rates. 'I can confirm we will not be introducing a cyclone levy, we will not be introducing an infrastructure levy, and we will not be introducing a transport levy,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane rates to increase $1.14 per week, lord mayor reveals
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has announced, via social media, that average rates will increase 3.87 per cent this financial year – the equivalent of $1.14 a week. In a video posted to Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday morning, the lord mayor said Brisbane's rates would remain the lowest in south-east Queensland. 'We've been able to keep rates down by only spending what we can afford,' he said, ahead of formally handing down the budget. However, the rate rise – which amounts to an average increase of $55 a year – is above the city's 2.7 per cent annual inflation rate. In comparison, the Gold Coast's rates will increase by 2.7 per cent but will include a one-off $10 levy to cover the Cyclone Alfred clean-up, and 3.8 per cent in Moreton. In the council's last sitting before the budget, Schrinner revealed Brisbane residents would not be charged levies for damage caused by Cyclone Alfred, infrastructure, or transport costs. Schrinner told Tuesday's council meeting he would honour his election commitment to avoid adding additional charges to annual rates. 'I can confirm we will not be introducing a cyclone levy, we will not be introducing an infrastructure levy, and we will not be introducing a transport levy,' he said.
The Advertiser
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
PTSD in our elderly is a lesser-known side effect of extreme weather events
A forgotten side effect of extreme weather events, debilitating our elderly, is finally being brought into the light in a push for older Australians to be better cared for. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and social isolation due to displacement and homelessness is not often talked about in mainstream media reports of such events like the Lismore floods or Cyclone Alfred. But the trauma can be intense and long-lasting for older Australians, according to a team from Griffith University and Anglicare Southern Queensland. Read more from The Senior: During a public webinar on June 12, aged care expert Victoria Cain spoke of an Anglicare aged care resident living with dementia who now has severe PTSD "superimposed on his dementia" because of the Lismore floods of 2022. "It's directly related to the floods because of the homelessness, so that alone is quite distressing ... many [aged care] residents have PTSD because of previous storm or flood events," said Ms Cain, Anglicare's Southern Queensland Clinical Lead, Specialist Dementia Care Program. "You then have an increase of isolation for residents who can't actually get out of their rooms or out of the floors. So it leads to isolation, it leads to increased depression, it leads to increased lack of mobility." In another instance, Ms Cain spoke of a recent stay in a hotel in Hervey Bay following Cyclone Alfred where the lifts had been inoperable since March and wouldn't be fixed for another 12 weeks. For some people this may be seen as an inconvenience, but for the elderly woman she met living on the top floor she would be heavily impacted by climbing up and down five flights of stairs every day - almost cut off from the world. Associate Professor Patricia Lee of Griffith University said whether it's bushfires, floods, cyclones or extreme heatwaves they all can have disruptive and harmful consequences on the elderly who need "continuous high care". The university is currently working with Anglicare on a research project investigating climate-change vulnerability on aged care residents and associated health impacts, while also looking at adaption strategies. "Older people are particularly vulnerable due to their age-related health conditions - chronic diseases, the climate vulnerabilities," Professor Lee said. "It can be isolating for people with underlying healthy conditions and also it reduces their mobility and increase social isolation - especially for those who are living alone." The research project will focus on two Queensland regional centres, Toowoomba and Hervey Bay. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE. A forgotten side effect of extreme weather events, debilitating our elderly, is finally being brought into the light in a push for older Australians to be better cared for. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and social isolation due to displacement and homelessness is not often talked about in mainstream media reports of such events like the Lismore floods or Cyclone Alfred. But the trauma can be intense and long-lasting for older Australians, according to a team from Griffith University and Anglicare Southern Queensland. Read more from The Senior: During a public webinar on June 12, aged care expert Victoria Cain spoke of an Anglicare aged care resident living with dementia who now has severe PTSD "superimposed on his dementia" because of the Lismore floods of 2022. "It's directly related to the floods because of the homelessness, so that alone is quite distressing ... many [aged care] residents have PTSD because of previous storm or flood events," said Ms Cain, Anglicare's Southern Queensland Clinical Lead, Specialist Dementia Care Program. "You then have an increase of isolation for residents who can't actually get out of their rooms or out of the floors. So it leads to isolation, it leads to increased depression, it leads to increased lack of mobility." In another instance, Ms Cain spoke of a recent stay in a hotel in Hervey Bay following Cyclone Alfred where the lifts had been inoperable since March and wouldn't be fixed for another 12 weeks. For some people this may be seen as an inconvenience, but for the elderly woman she met living on the top floor she would be heavily impacted by climbing up and down five flights of stairs every day - almost cut off from the world. Associate Professor Patricia Lee of Griffith University said whether it's bushfires, floods, cyclones or extreme heatwaves they all can have disruptive and harmful consequences on the elderly who need "continuous high care". The university is currently working with Anglicare on a research project investigating climate-change vulnerability on aged care residents and associated health impacts, while also looking at adaption strategies. "Older people are particularly vulnerable due to their age-related health conditions - chronic diseases, the climate vulnerabilities," Professor Lee said. "It can be isolating for people with underlying healthy conditions and also it reduces their mobility and increase social isolation - especially for those who are living alone." The research project will focus on two Queensland regional centres, Toowoomba and Hervey Bay. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE. A forgotten side effect of extreme weather events, debilitating our elderly, is finally being brought into the light in a push for older Australians to be better cared for. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and social isolation due to displacement and homelessness is not often talked about in mainstream media reports of such events like the Lismore floods or Cyclone Alfred. But the trauma can be intense and long-lasting for older Australians, according to a team from Griffith University and Anglicare Southern Queensland. Read more from The Senior: During a public webinar on June 12, aged care expert Victoria Cain spoke of an Anglicare aged care resident living with dementia who now has severe PTSD "superimposed on his dementia" because of the Lismore floods of 2022. "It's directly related to the floods because of the homelessness, so that alone is quite distressing ... many [aged care] residents have PTSD because of previous storm or flood events," said Ms Cain, Anglicare's Southern Queensland Clinical Lead, Specialist Dementia Care Program. "You then have an increase of isolation for residents who can't actually get out of their rooms or out of the floors. So it leads to isolation, it leads to increased depression, it leads to increased lack of mobility." In another instance, Ms Cain spoke of a recent stay in a hotel in Hervey Bay following Cyclone Alfred where the lifts had been inoperable since March and wouldn't be fixed for another 12 weeks. For some people this may be seen as an inconvenience, but for the elderly woman she met living on the top floor she would be heavily impacted by climbing up and down five flights of stairs every day - almost cut off from the world. Associate Professor Patricia Lee of Griffith University said whether it's bushfires, floods, cyclones or extreme heatwaves they all can have disruptive and harmful consequences on the elderly who need "continuous high care". The university is currently working with Anglicare on a research project investigating climate-change vulnerability on aged care residents and associated health impacts, while also looking at adaption strategies. "Older people are particularly vulnerable due to their age-related health conditions - chronic diseases, the climate vulnerabilities," Professor Lee said. "It can be isolating for people with underlying healthy conditions and also it reduces their mobility and increase social isolation - especially for those who are living alone." The research project will focus on two Queensland regional centres, Toowoomba and Hervey Bay. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE. A forgotten side effect of extreme weather events, debilitating our elderly, is finally being brought into the light in a push for older Australians to be better cared for. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and social isolation due to displacement and homelessness is not often talked about in mainstream media reports of such events like the Lismore floods or Cyclone Alfred. But the trauma can be intense and long-lasting for older Australians, according to a team from Griffith University and Anglicare Southern Queensland. Read more from The Senior: During a public webinar on June 12, aged care expert Victoria Cain spoke of an Anglicare aged care resident living with dementia who now has severe PTSD "superimposed on his dementia" because of the Lismore floods of 2022. "It's directly related to the floods because of the homelessness, so that alone is quite distressing ... many [aged care] residents have PTSD because of previous storm or flood events," said Ms Cain, Anglicare's Southern Queensland Clinical Lead, Specialist Dementia Care Program. "You then have an increase of isolation for residents who can't actually get out of their rooms or out of the floors. So it leads to isolation, it leads to increased depression, it leads to increased lack of mobility." In another instance, Ms Cain spoke of a recent stay in a hotel in Hervey Bay following Cyclone Alfred where the lifts had been inoperable since March and wouldn't be fixed for another 12 weeks. For some people this may be seen as an inconvenience, but for the elderly woman she met living on the top floor she would be heavily impacted by climbing up and down five flights of stairs every day - almost cut off from the world. Associate Professor Patricia Lee of Griffith University said whether it's bushfires, floods, cyclones or extreme heatwaves they all can have disruptive and harmful consequences on the elderly who need "continuous high care". The university is currently working with Anglicare on a research project investigating climate-change vulnerability on aged care residents and associated health impacts, while also looking at adaption strategies. "Older people are particularly vulnerable due to their age-related health conditions - chronic diseases, the climate vulnerabilities," Professor Lee said. "It can be isolating for people with underlying healthy conditions and also it reduces their mobility and increase social isolation - especially for those who are living alone." The research project will focus on two Queensland regional centres, Toowoomba and Hervey Bay. Share your thoughts in the comments below, or send a Letter to the Editor by CLICKING HERE.
