For three days the east coast of New South Wales experienced cyclonic wind and rain. Houses were washed away by flooded rivers and the storm surge did massive coastal damage. Sandy beaches moved inland and invaded shopping centres and people's homes - and the number of cars written off because they were inundated are yet to be counted. The death toll stands at seven - and may rise further.
This is regarded as a "ten year "storm and while many will blame it's intensity on global warming the history books record a litany of similar events. The problem is that as our numbers increase and the density of living on this inviting coastal fringe fills previously vacant land, the damage bill increases exponentially. Insurance assessors will be months totally the cost and it will probably top billions of dollars.
Insurance will cover only part of the bill. Many private homes destroyed or damaged will be uninsured and already council workers are trying to restore foreshores for ANZAC day events. It is inevitable that where flood water invaded houses even those covered by insurance will lose personal items of great sentimental value. Over a thousand passengers on a cruise ship will have unhappy memories of two nights spent at the height of the storm off Sydney, riding very rough seas when the pilot was unable to board to bring the ship into port.
This storm event is destined to find it's way into ever higher bills spread across a wide range of charges. Each year councils petition for rate increases well above inflation and this cleanup will add to deficits. It is inevitable that the damage costs to homes and cars will be factored into premium rates that will apply to the next policy renewals.
There are lessons to be learned from this weeks storm. An incredible amount of damage occurred when dangerous trees fell on homes or crushed cars. Perhaps it is time to reassess this danger and actively remove those that pose the greatest threat. In many cases, giant trees in suburbia are simply what existed before homes were built on vacant land and are totally unsuitable for an urban landscape. We could enhance the safety factor by removing them, and planting replacements to preserve the greenery without the danger.
Achieving that is easier said than done. It would best be achieved by consultation and agreement with the home owner but where a grave danger exists councils certainly have the power to order the removal of such a tree. It could also be a factor taken into account when deciding the premium for insurance cover. It would not be unreasonable for the insurer to require the removal of a dangerous tree as a condition of cover.
Perhaps the greatest safety opportunity occurs when new housing estates are planned. That would be an ideal time to stipulate precisely what trees were allowed and we have the example of Canberra as a guide. The planning of the national capital was in the hands of the National Capital Development Commission ( NCDC ) and their planning extended to the house type and size allocated to each block - and further refined completion to matters such as where a clothes line could be located or what type of letter box would be installed. NCDC decisions also covered the location and type of trees allowed - and as a consequence Canberra has an almost complete absence of dangerous trees damaging houses in wind storms.
It is quite certain that within the next decade their will be further storm events and one may even exceed this weeks ferocity. At least a little forward planning now could ensure a better outcome where homes are damaged by falling trees.
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