EQC - Updates

EQC have released two updates associated with recent aftershocks. It is interesting to think the Boxing Day earthquake has resulted in more claims that the Gisborne earthquake of 2007. There is also an update on the flooding in Brisbane and its effect on claims processing.

Update on EQC activity and claims deadlines

If you haven’t made a claim before, or if it is new and separate damage, or if you have had your earlier claim settled, then you will be lodging an entirely new claim. You have three months from 26 December to make a claim.

Claims Update

EQC has now received 6,895 claims from the 4.9 magnitude Boxing Day earthquake, easily surpassing those from the previous two big aftershocks and now representing a sizeable event in its own right.
“To put it into perspective, it exceeds the 6,200 claims we received from the last significant earthquake we covered before Canterbury - the Gisborne event of December 2007,”the chief executive of the Earthquake Commission, Ian Simpson, said today.

Brisbane flooding and claims processing

EQC’s claims management centre in Brisbane had to be evacuated two days ago because of the Queensland floods. This affected our ability to take claims enquiries although the processing of payments was able to continue from remote locations.

As of yesterday, the office had reopened with 65 of the processing staff able to return to the office and another 30 able to work from home. It is expected that all staff will be able to return to the office from Monday.

The office is run by our contractors Gallagher Bassett and was located in Australia to have it away from New Zealand in times of our own disasters. It is ironic that the office has been caught up in a local disaster at the same time we continue processing claims for the Canterbury disaster.

The original news releases from EQC can be found here  and here. The information on the Brisbane office is contained in a newspaper advertisement. The original can be found on the EQC site here.

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