Too early to count cost of damage

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33929, 23 August 1975, Page 1

Too early to count cost of damage

(From C

OLIVER RIDDELL)

WELLINGTON, August 22. It is too early for the Earthquake and War Damage Commission to estimate the number of claims or the costs resulting from flood damage in Canterbury this week, and it expects r any of the claims to be lodged as part of claims from the gales three weeks ago.

The secretary of the commission (Mr J. L. Gill) said todav that he expected most of the claims to come from commercial premises, where the amount of flood damage was usually far higher than for domestic premises. “Most homes are built a foot or two off the ground, while commercial premises and warehouses are usually at ground level with considerable quantities of stocks stored on the floor,” he said. Most home-owners had a flood clause as part of their householder insurance cover, and they should check with their insurance comnanies immediately. “We find there is a greater sense of urgency with flood damage than with storm damage because the water is usually dirty and often foul as well,” said Mr Gill. “Coming so soon after the wind damage, this flood has placed real pressure on our assessors investigating and approving claims.”

Two assessors from Wanganui and one from New Plymouth had already joined those assessors coping with claims from the storm before the flood had occurred. Another from Auckland reached Christchurch today and one from Hastings would join the team tomorrow. “The assessor from Auckland was brought in to handle the land slips, of which they have more experience in Auckland, and we tried to gef a geologistsoil engineer from Wellington down today,” he said. “Unfortunately, the pressure on flights to the South

Island at the start of school holidays prevented this, but he will go down tomorrow. “Land slips are very messy things and have to be handled by an expert or the hillside behind the slip will keep on slipping and make matters worse, and we have brought in these experts so that the claims can be assessed and permanent repair work begun as quickly as possible.” The commission was still receiving “bundles of claims” as a result of wind damage and progress in processing these would be slowed because of the amount of flood damage, Mr Gill said.