Insurance Council Applauds Urgency on Flood Issues

MEDIA RELEASE

6 March 2014

Insurance Council Applauds Urgency on Flood Issues

The Government and the Christchurch City Council are to be applauded for the urgency being given to flood mitigation plans, the Insurance Council of New Zealand said today.

The Insurance Council was responding to the outcome of a meeting today between Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee and Major Lianne Dalziel which will see fast-track work for the Flockton Basin in St. Albans and moves to pass special legislation through Parliament to enable work to proceed quickly.

“This area of the city has flooded on several occasions since the earthquakes lowered land in the area. So, this is good news for hard-pressed residents constantly worried about what the next heavy rain will bring,” Chief Executive Tim Grafton said

“It’s also good news for them if mitigation significantly reduces the risk and frequency of flooding because it supports the future insurability of property.

“We are also pleased to hear the City Council is firming up timeframes for how it will deal with other flood risks, Port Hills slope stability and other hazards long-term. Attention to some of these issues will help remove roadblock to recovery efforts,” he said.

“The Christchurch recovery has never been down to solely insurers or EQC or a combination of the two. It should be increasingly clear now that keeping the momentum of the recovery going involves action from local and central government too and tackling hazards in this way illustrates this well.”

ENDS

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