Resiliency key to driving down disaster bill
Published 28 May 2026
- City of Moreton Bay residents are being urged to plan and prepare around their home to avoid costly insurance claims.
- Recent data from the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) reveals that insured losses jumped some 727 per cent to more than $4.1 billion in 2025 in Queensland.
- Residents can take simple measures to build resiliency around their own homes.
Taking the time to plan and prepare before severe weather conditions strike could help residents in City of Moreton Bay avoid a costly insurance claim following a multi-billion dollar damage bill in the Sunshine State last year.
Recent data released by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) reveals that insured losses jumped some 727 per cent on the previous year to more than $4.1 billion in 2025, with the damage wrought by events such as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the November storms that ravaged South-East Queensland proving most costly.
City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said with the growing unpredictability of wild weather and leading into bushfire season, planning and preparation was the key to building resiliency around homes and buildings.
“We often say prepare for the worst and hope for the best and that is the mindset our communities need to have as the weather events become more unpredictable,” he said.
“I’d also encourage community members to speak with their neighbours and make sure they know and understand the risks so they can take steps to protect their family and property.
“It’s also the best way to minimise having to make a costly insurance claim should disaster strike.”
According to the ICA, November’s severe storm and hail event across Queensland and New South Wales reached almost 93,000 claims totalling $1.78 billion, with damage varying from dents on car roofs and smashed windscreens, to uprooted trees and homes inundated with water.
City of Moreton Bay is playing its part to boost community resilience and improve the community’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural hazards thanks to planned burns, important community education campaigns and partnering with communities to develop Local Resilience Plans.
With bushfire season in Queensland running from July to October, Council is currently conducting planned burns to help reduce bushfire ground fuels, minimise the severity of these fires and reduce the threat to life and property.
Mayor Flannery said there were a number of simple measures residents could take to build resilience around their own homes.
“Residents should consider clearing their gutters and overhanging tree branches, pack an emergency kit, check their insurances, download their flood check property report to understand their flood risk, and get a household emergency plan ready,” he said.
“Whether it’s fires, floods, storms or cyclones, we can all do our part to create a strong and adaptable community to meet the weather challenges of the future.”
Mayor Flannery urged residents to refer to Council’s Disaster Dashboard for local updates on severe weather, road closures, power outages, evacuation centres and more, as well as sign up to MoretonAlert - a free SMS, email and voice alerting system.
For more information on how to prepare your home for a natural disaster, head to https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Disaster-Management/Before-a-Disaster