Tower settles first Auckland flood claims in less than a week

“It’s our job to be there when people need us most and to help alleviate some of the stress involved during weather events so Kiwis can focus on keeping themselves and their families safe,” Wilson said. “We are doing everything we can to work through claims as quickly as possible. I’m proud of the way our teams have rallied to support our customers over the past few days.”

As floods began to rise on Jan. 27, Tower activated its large events motor assessing process to fast-track claims. By the following morning, a fleet of tow trucks had begun transporting customers’ flood-damaged vehicles from around Auckland to a triage yard in Wiri (pictured directly above), where Tower motor assessors are stationed to inspect vehicles.

Tower said it has received more than 500 motor claims to date from this event, and around 200 cars are being assessed or are on their way to the yard.

According to Wilson, who is a mechanic by trade, once flood water reaches above a certain level, it’s often not viable to repair the vehicle’s electrical system. This means a large part of assessing involves performing checks to verify the extent of flood damage, which allows assessors to quickly identify the state of the vehicle. If a car needs further assessment, it is sent to one of Tower’s repair partners to be seen by a mechanic.

Wilson warned vehicle owners that there can be live currents still active in a vehicle’s electrical system which, coupled with water damage, requires specialist assessment for work to be carried out safely.

“That’s why our advice to customers is do not drive your car if it’s flood-damaged, call your insurer and they will have it towed and assessed,” Wilson said. “For vehicles that have been driven through flood waters, hydro-locked engines are fixable and that’s something we can assess and help with. If flood waters only reached a low level in your vehicle, open all the windows in a secure place to allow the vehicle to dry out. Fans and dehumidifiers will also help.”

Tower said that house and contents claims will take longer than motor claims, as assessors need to visit individual homes.

“We’ve been bringing in more assessors from around the country and Australia to help reach customers faster,” Wilson said. “These assessors have been on the ground since early Saturday morning.”

Tower has received more than 1,900 house, motor and contents claims for this event overall, with around 1,000 of these being house claims.