Our team hits the road to visit bushfire affected communities across NSW

While the bushfires have eased in some parts of the country, the destruction left behind is very visible in the communities that were affected.

Among the most devastated, is the small town of Cobargo, in south-east New South Wales.

In mid-January, Luke Gallagher from our claims team and Craig Byfield from our major events team, visited Cobargo, as well as some of the other bushfire-affected communities nearby, to see the damage firsthand.

During their trip, they were able to speak to both colleagues and customers and get a better understanding of the situation on the ground.

Cobargo

The first stop was a visit to the recovery centre the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) had set up in the Cobargo Hotel.

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Here Luke and Craig spoke to Marco Gagliardi, one of our Property Claims consultants temporarily based at the centre, as well as the ICA team.

One of our four Major Event Rapid Response Vehicles (MERRV) was also stationed outside the recovery centre, which gave Luke and Craig the chance to speak to some of our customers in person. Our MERRVs are vehicles that we use when we need to go into communities that may need additional assistance such as help making a claim or arranging emergency payments or accommodation (see our MERRV pictured below).

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They heard from a couple who had stayed behind as the fires tore through town, in an attempt to protect their home.

Luke and Craig also took a walk through the main street and saw the destruction that had been caused. During their walk they were approached by a local woman who recognised the NRMA logo and stopped for a chat on what the community experienced during the bushfires.

Batemans Bay

The next stop on the trip was nearby Batemans Bay, where Luke and Craig had the chance to visit another recovery centre at the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club. 

Luke said: “It was clear our people who were based there for the day were doing an incredible job of helping our customers feel supported with a sense of empathy and urgency.”

Next up, was a visit to the NRMA Agency in Batemans Bay to meet the team on the ground and understand the situation in the community.

Luke chatted with the Proprietor of that agency, John Abel, who spoke to the resilience and strength of the team as they supported the customers that were coming in.

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Mogo

As they drove through Mogo, NSW on their way back, Luke and Craig could see the very visible pockets of destruction that the fires had caused when they tore through the town.

While devastating to see, Luke said: "I’m reassured by the knowledge that we have incredible people across the business, working hard to ensure customers in communities all over Australia get back on their feet as quickly as possible".

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IAG continues to provide assistance to customers affected by bushfires, including going into affected communities and recovery centres. To find out more about how IAG is responding to the current bushfires, visit our bushfire response hub.