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EQC on YouTube
Canterbury residents affected by the Darfield Earthquake can now see 'behind the scenes' of their claims to the Earthquake Commission on YouTube.
The Earthquake Commission (EQC) has posted a seven-minute video on the site, showing how the claims process is managed.
"We know there are many Cantabrians who've made claims to EQC following the event on 4 September, and who are wondering when their properties will be assessed by an EQC team," said commission chief executive Ian Simpson.
"This short video is to give those people in particular some idea of what happens to their claim after it's lodged, and the processes we have to go through. Hopefully it will lead to a greater understanding of how we're working," he said.
The video - called EQC - Picking up the Pieces - briefly backgrounds the earthquake and the extent of damage. It then explains how EQC activated its Catastrophe Response Plan, swelling its usual staff complement of 22 to over 400 within three weeks.
The claims process is explained by one of the EQC managers in Christchurch, and the video illustrates the work of loss adjusters, estimators and call centre personnel.
"What a lot of people don't realise is that the assessment teams - comprising a loss adjustor and estimator - might have to spend two or three hours at an individual property, depending on the extent of damage", said Mr Simpson. "Multiply that by the more than 80,000 claims we have, and you can see it can never be a fast process.
Mr Simpson said the video also explains that EQC is prioritising those claims where houses are either uninhabitable or not weatherproof.
"If your damage is minor and non-structural then we do also have the ability to fast-track a claim. However, many claims will take longer due to the nature or complexity of the damage".
An EQC team will get to all claimants eventually, he said.
The video can be viewed on www.youtube.com by searching EQC Picking up the Pieces.
ENDS.
For more information contact:
Mike Bodnar
027 208 9453
Email: mbodnar@eqc.govt.nz