NewsBite

Logan woman’s 36-day struggle for power after insurance delay

An insurance giant has apologised to a Logan woman who is still living by candlelight, with no way to keep cool, for 36 days after her power was knocked out in a Christmas Day tornado.

A Logan woman’s home has been without power for 36 days after storms destroyed part of her home.
A Logan woman’s home has been without power for 36 days after storms destroyed part of her home.

A Logan woman whose house was smashed in a Christmas Day tornado is still waiting for power to be reconnected — 36 days after the destructive storm.

Wendy Brittain has been forced to use a camp generator to keep her fridge going and has been living by candlelight after insurance company delays meant Energex could not restore power.

It took Energex crews, working around the clock, 14 days to rebuild poles and fix lines crushed and scattered along Dennis Rd at Cedar Vale, where Ms Brittain has an acreage property.

Explained: All your power outage questions answered

Damage to the roof must be repaired before Energex reconnects the power, with the claim still being assessed by the insurer. Picture: Contributed
Damage to the roof must be repaired before Energex reconnects the power, with the claim still being assessed by the insurer. Picture: Contributed

Although power has been reinstated to her street, it could not be connected to the Ms Brittain’s home until after her tiled A-frame roof, shattered by a fallen tree, was repaired.

That could not happen until her insurer APIA, a subsidiary of Suncorp, approved a payout and organised the process for the roof repairs.

An Apia spokesman apologised to Ms Brittain but said due to the severity of the damage the claim had experienced delays.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused the customer,” the spokesman said.

“We have appointed a dedicated customer relationships manager to expedite the repairs of the property.

“Temporary accommodation was offered to the customer but this was declined, so we are paying for a generator at the property in the meantime.”

Ms Brittain said she could not relocate as she had horses and pets.

Energex said power had been available to the property for many weeks but it was still waiting for the owner’s licensed electrician to deem the property safe to be reconnected.

“The moment the property owner’s licensed electrician signs off the property as safe to receive mains electricity, Energex can reconnect the premises within 24 hours.”

Ms Brittain said the storm damage had taken its toll as she had to endure the constant drone of the petrol generator with no airconditioning during the recent extreme heat.

She only had two electric camping fans to cool the inside of the house.

Dozens of mature trees were blown over or snapped during the storm at Cedar Vale in Logan. Pictures: Contributed
Dozens of mature trees were blown over or snapped during the storm at Cedar Vale in Logan. Pictures: Contributed

She said she had expected a lot more from the insurance company, which charged about $216 a month — $2590 a year — to insure their property for storm damage.

“I am concerned that with the predicted rain for this week that I will be flooded in and isolated and that I will run out of petrol for the generator,” Ms Brittain said.

“The power cables are ready to be rolled out to the house from the road, but nothing can happen until the roof repairs are approved by the insurer and completed.

“I have had two assessors from Apia and an electrician carry out appraisals, but I have not been told why the roof repairs have not started.

“I managed to get a local electrician but his hands are tied until a builder is available and there appears to be a shortage of tradies.”

Logan MP Linus Power contacted the Insurance Council of Australia to ask if more could be done to speed up the claim.

Logan MP Linus Power with some of the crew out over the Christmas break helping to repair roads, remove fallen trees and fix power lines in the Jimboomba and Cedar Vale area. Picture: Linus Power
Logan MP Linus Power with some of the crew out over the Christmas break helping to repair roads, remove fallen trees and fix power lines in the Jimboomba and Cedar Vale area. Picture: Linus Power

“Thirty-five days is too long. I understand some of the complexities but repairs should have started by now,” he said.

“There are still a few properties without power in the area for a range of reasons including some renters who had had to wait for their real estate agents to get in touch with overseas landlords.

“The damage is extensive. I’ve never seen anything like it with massive, mature trees snapped in half.

“Temporary workarounds have been investigated including putting the power lines underground, but it is too expensive and still not fail-proof.”

The Insurance Council of Australia said it could not comment on individual cases but had discussed the problem with Mr Power after the severe storm.

“Suncorp have contacted the policyholder and has escalated the claim to a high priority,” an ICA spokesman said.

“Food spoilage coverage varies across insurance policies. Generally, if the outage was caused by an event such as a storm or severe weather, a policy may provide reimbursement for spoiled food.

“The Insurance Council encourages policyholders to review the details of their policies and talk to their insurer.”

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/logan/logan-womans-36day-struggle-for-power-after-insurance-delay/news-story/1e240358b05e7dfbf57ed9953c83afc7