Brisbane floods: Residents’ claims unanswered as flood damage claims more victims

Brisbane residents are demanding the city council step up and cover the cost of a spate of new damage cause to their property in the wake of the February floods, but of the 229 claims made by May 31, just 20 have been successful.

Flood-ravaged Brisbane roads have led to a spike in claims from residents demanding council cover the cost of damage caused by potholes, but only a fraction of the applicants have so far been successful.

Severe rainfall during the February flooding event tore up the streets and led to a substantial rise in severely damaged tyres, according to an inner-north tyre mechanic.

But of the 229 claims made to Brisbane City Council this year before May 31, just 20 had been successful, amounting to a total of $1,783. In 2021, 188 claims were made, with 70 successful for a total outlay of $49,255.

The damage to tyres, suspensions and skewed wheel alignments comes as council frantically patches up the streets, with more than 30,000 potholes filled since the destructive rain flooded suburbs.

The level of destruction led to nearly 17,100 potholes being filled in the month following the February rain event, compared to nearly 11,000 in the month after the 2011 flood.

Hundreds of roads across Brisbane went under during the floods. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“Brisbane has experienced extraordinary rainfall and since the start of the February floods, we have filled a record 31,000 potholes,” a council spokeswoman said.

A Bridgestone store owner in Hendra, Caleb Sos, said there was a “substantial and obvious” increase in pothole-related damage to cars in the four weeks following the flood.

He said a large portion of the damage to tyres was clearly caused by holes in roads given the severity of the cuts and fractures.

“If the impact from the pothole is substantial enough to damage the tyre, then mechanically and logically we would assume that it would also knock out the wheel alignment and impact some suspension components,” he said.

Mr Sos said the damage inflicted by potholes typically resulted in a tyre replacement costing up to $250, while suspension repair can cost up to $1000.

He said the option to claim reimbursement from council appeared to be little known among customers but he advised consumers to get written evidence from their mechanic if the damage was caused by potholes.

“We can definitely list in our invoice why we’ve replaced the tyre and needed to do a wheel alignment,” Mr Sos said.

“Quite often people do voice their opinion that it is not their fault and should be a responsibility of the council but I don’t actually know whether that’s something that people successfully challenge.”

Council residents can apply for compensation through the notice of injury, loss or damage page of its website if they believe the incident was caused by council’s wrongdoing.

Claims can only be considered if the pothole is on a road managed by the council as oppose to the state government.