Ten months after the event, an ACT Government team supporting the owners of 7,500 uninsured Canberra vehicles damaged by January’s hailstorm have completed their work, providing rebates of more than $507,000 in total.
The Hail Assistance and Innovation Liaison (HAIL) Team helped reduce the financial pressure for those impacted by the catastrophic hailstorm that hit Canberra on 20 January, which damaged approximately 44,500 vehicles.
The HAIL Team at Access Canberra processed 7,607 rebates through the program, refunding fees and charges paid by Canberrans for key road transport transactions including inspecting damaged vehicles and registering replacement vehicles.
These rebates aimed to reduce the extra costs usually associated with purchasing a new car.
A range of innovative methods were used to speed up transaction processing times to get drivers back on the road as quickly as possible, with demand for some services increasing by at least 128% compared to 2019.
Also, due to the workload created by the hailstorm damage, Access Canberra’s Vehicle Safety Standards team inspected 1,500 vehicles – either affected by the hail damage or replaced due the hail damage – at the Hume Motor Vehicle Inspection Station. These inspections ensured safe vehicles were returning to ACT roads.
January’s 15-minute hailstorm event wreaked havoc as it moved across Canberra, causing unparalleled damage to wildlife, homes and cars.
NRMA Insurance data released in October showed the ACT’s 2019-20 storm season was the most severe on record.
Three-quarters (75%) of all home claims in 2019-20 were the result of storm damage; the five-year average for the ACT is 58%.
The data itself was highly skewed due to the 20 January hailstorm.
According to NRMA, 96% of all ACT home claims in January were the result of the hailstorm.
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