Hope for Rochester flood victims after face-to-face insurer meetings

A spokesman for Rochester Flood Recovery Hub said the insurers held 131 consultations with claimants last week at Rochester Community House.

Many victims are still waiting for their claim approval six months on.

Sharon Wilson called her home insurer two or three times per week after her house was inundated by floodwater in October.

"I wasn't getting any answers. I was always being told to wait five to 10 business days. But the answers never came," Ms Wilson said.

Ms Wilson said during her phone calls she was consistently transferred between departments, before being told her claim hadn't been assessed.

Ms Wilson and her husband Ross decided on a cash settlement for their claim after learning it would take up to 12 months to initiate a rebuild.

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When the settlement wasn't in their account within the stated five days, Ms Wilson called the insurance company again and were told the insurer hadn't been able to identify their home's title.

"There was always something, 'we can't find this, we can't find that'. But if you didn't ring them, they wouldn't go looking for it," Ms Wilson said.

Ms Wilson and her husband met with the insurer face-to-face this week and said their claim was approved immediately.

"When we got them face-to-face it was with a person who actually knew what was going on. The biggest key is being proactive and to fight, fight, fight," Ms Wilson said.

ARC Justice acting strategy and impact manager Kate Clohesy said while the consultations represented good community presence for the insurer, it shouldn't come at the cost of the agency acting dutifully.

"While it's fantastic to have that face-to-face communication, it can't be a replacement for open communication around the progress of a claim," Ms Clohesy said.

ARC Justice provides legal help and tenancy advocacy services to people in Central and Northern Victoria and attends the Rochester Flood Recovery Hub on a weekly basis.

Ms Clohesy urged claimants seeking face-to-face meetings to continue to be aware of their entitlements.

"As long as everybody knows the rights open to them in terms of seeking reviews and the insurance company maintains responsibility, the face-to-face meetings are a good thing," she said.

The in-person consultations are scheduled once every three months, meaning some residents will still be forced to seek information regarding the process of their claim over the phone.

"Three months is a long time if you're waiting," Ms Chlohesy said.

"My concern is that the community engagement piece of coming out of (the meetings) being in person, while it's fantastic to have that face-to-face communication, it can't be a replacement for the insurer being transparent."

Former mayor and Rochester Community Recovery Committee chair Leigh Wilson said residents waiting on claims should familiarise themselves with the services available at Rochester Community House.

Many Rochester residents still suffer from "flood fog" and find processing written information difficult.

"Verbal and facial communication is much easier," Mr Wilson said.

Along with insurance consultations, the hub provides basic services and temporary recovery support to those recovering from the floods.

Mr Wilson urged residents who "think they have everything sorted" by themselves to communicate with the services available with the hub to see if extra support might help.

"People are coming in and find out resources are available instantly," Mr Wilson said.

The insurers will return to Rochester for further consultations in July.

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