The NSW Northern Rivers region is facing an intractable problem - property insurance in the global climate crisis

 

The Climate Risk Group published a report in June 2024 - Going Under: The imperative to act in Australia's high flood risk suburbs

The report looked looked at risk of damage from riverine flooding to residential homes across Australia in 2030 under RCP 8.5 scenario and its analysis covered over 14,739,901 individual addresses and 14,995 suburbs, focussing on homes identified as High Risk Properties (HRP) by 2030 - properties where insurance may become unaffordable or withdrawn completely.

The Climate Group's investigations found:

• By 2030, 588,857 Australian homes are considered to be High Risk Properties: they carry a high risk of flood cover becoming prohibitively expensive or withdrawn, i.e risk becoming uninsurable.

• NSW is by far the most impacted state, with 206,622 individual homes identified as being at high risk of becoming uninsurable by 2030.

• This compares with 382,235 homes in all other states put together.

This report identified nine urban settlement areas in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales as being at risk in this scenario.

Tweed Heads South, Chinderah, Ballina, West Ballina and Grafton are identified as Black Zone localities. Black Zone Suburbs are suburbs where over 80% of residential properties are at high risk of becoming uninsurable. In these zones, property buy-back and community relocation will have to be considered.

Tweed Heads, Tweed Heads West, Lismore, South Lismore and Yamba are identified as being Red Zone localities. Red Zone Suburbs are suburbs where 50-80% of residential properties are at high risk of becoming uninsurable. With investment in adaptation these zones could still be viable.

On 16 May 2024, the Australian Senate created the Select Committee on the Impact of Climate Risk on Insurance Premiums and Availability. The committee is currently conducting an inquiry into the Impact of Climate Risk on Insurance Premiums and Availability and is to present a final report to parliament by 19 November 2024.

The Insurance Council of Australia has informed this inquiry of the industry's assessment of the national situation:

> Worsening extreme weather events, expansion of development in high-risk areas, growing asset values and higher inflation, particularly in the construction sector, are putting upward pressure on the affordability of insurance in Australia and across markets globally. This is widening the gap between those who can afford insurance and those who can’t, particularly in areas most vulnerable to extreme weather risk.

> To address insurance affordability over the short- to medium-term, it will be critical to continue to strengthen the resilience of communities and businesses so that they can better withstand the disasters Australia is already experiencing. This includes bolstering investment in resilience enhancing infrastructure, strengthening our building stock, and reforming land use planning to improve community safety and affordability when building new homes. After peril risk, the second biggest component of the cost of insurance premiums is taxation; the removal of state insurance taxes will also be an essential reform to provide immediate cost of living relief.

> Over the longer-term, in addition to consistent resilience investment, industry and governments need to continue to tackle the underlying driver of worsening extreme weather, climate change, by maintaining a focus on achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

> The insurance industry, in partnership with governments and regulators, is at the forefront of working to close the protection gap. For example, the Australian Government’s Hazards Insurance Partnership (HIP), focuses on bringing industry and government together to identify the high-risk areas around the country where insurance affordability challenges are growing, and tests and targets the appropriate policy solutions. Insurers are also working with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to undertake a Climate Vulnerability Assessment focused on the impacts of a warming climate on the availability of general insurance. The ICA and its members have also led key industry initiatives, including releasing an industry-wide climate change roadmap and producing new economic and actuarial analysis focused on the costs of extreme weather, uplifting Australia’s building codes and standards and strengthening state and federal resilience investment.

Northern Rivers newspaper The Echo in an article titled Climate change pushes up insurance, families going uninsured on 8 October 2024:

Financial Rights Legal Centre Senior Policy and Communications Officer Julia Davis told the enquiry, ‘The problem of insurance in a changing climate has reached a point where the market is not going to solve these problems. It is time for government intervention.

‘The repercussions of these events extend beyond financial strain for consumers. The consequences have been deeply personal with individuals facing emotional stress, strained relationships and trauma.’

Ms Davis also said managing insurance claims was ‘nothing short of retraumatising’ for many consumers.

Financial Counsellors Australia National Coordinator for Disaster Recovery, Vicki Staff said her organisation had seen people being quoted over $60,000 per year for insurance.

‘They are now having to find an insurance product that doesn’t fully cover them for the natural perils they are the most at risk of,’ she said.

Widening gap

Insurance Council of Australia Chief Operating Officer Kylie McFarlane told the enquiry, ‘The widening gap between those who can afford insurance and those who can not, especially in areas vulnerable to extreme weather risk, is an issue that we need to address collectively.

‘Insurance prices risk, and the most effective way to reduce pressure on premiums and reduce the protection gap is to mitigate or eliminate those risks.

Sometimes {sarcastic} humour is the only defence left in an increasingly inhospitable world

 

Some social media posts use humour to criticise the supermarkets' prices.(Instagram: Grassroots Action Network Tasmania). ABC News, 8 September 2023

Coles announces new series 'Feed your family for under $1,000' https://t.co/2vRDyfgdzj

— The Chaser (@chaser) September 6, 2023

via @ChrisHeHim1

On 30 August 2023 the Australian Bureau of Statistics released its Monthly Consumer Price Index Indicator for July 2023 showing the monthly CPI indicator rose 4.9% in the twelve months to July, with the most significant price rises being Housing (+7.3%) and Food and non-alcoholic beverages (+5.6%) - supposedly offset by a fall in Automotive fuel (-7.6%). Rent was listed as rising by +7.6% and electricity rose by +15.7%. While the Insurance and financial services category was recorded at +8.5%.

It is getting harder and harder for those on low fixed incomes to afford a range of healthy fresh food, better quality dried/processed food, milk, tea, coffee, juice, condiments or even enough bread for a fortnight. Right now it feels like a visit to Coles or Woolworths costs three times as much for half the number of items.

Prices are misleading at ⁦@Coles⁩. $1.70 x 2 = $3.40. Yet Coles’ down-down “specials” show “2 for $4”. How widespread is this mathematical duplicity? ⁦@acccgovau⁩ is on the case but time for consumers to protest about theft in advertising. ⁦@hijessicayun⁩ SMH. pic.twitter.com/TqpYEmy1HZ

— Quentin Dempster (@QuentinDempster) September 6, 2023

As for medications - by the time one is standing at the pharmacy checkout prices are becoming prohibitive - over $61 for around 28 days supply of just six of the eight medications required on a daily basis is not unusual.

When it comes to those unexpected out-of-pocket expenses involving GP or medical specialist visits - those expenses often need 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' budgeting - with many GPs even charging an additional fixed fee just to put your behind on the consulting room chair. One of those chairs would bring in around an extra $240-$320 per 8hr day on top of the medical consultation fees accrued for that working day.

Of course the need for new clothing or shoes frequently loses out to all these other living expenses.

It's no wonder second-hand stores & food banks have so many customers these days.

Federal parliamentary inquiry into insurer response to the 2022 floods & other matters gets the go ahead on 7 August 2023

Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, media release, 3 August 2023:

Insurance claims handling under the microscope in parliamentary inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods

Today, the Assistant Treasurer will give notice to the House of Representatives tabling a motion to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into insurer responses to the 2022 floods. The motion will be presented to the house on the next day of sitting, Monday 7 August.

The inquiry will take a whole of economy view of the ongoing challenges faced by intense and frequent flood events.

It is consumer focussed - investigating land use planning, affordability of coverage, supply chain issues, labour shortages, claims handling, and dispute resolution processes.

The February-March 2022 floods in South‑East Queensland and NSW are the costliest natural disaster for insurance costs, totalling around $5.87 billion, in Australian history.

The Assistant Treasurer has visited the communities impacted by floods in Southeast Queensland with Graham Perrett MP and the Northern Rivers with Janelle Saffin MP; and following a visit to flood ravaged towns in Central West NSW last month announced the inquiry alongside Member for Calare, Andrew Gee MP.

Today, the Albanese Government has released the terms of reference.

The committee will hear directly from affected communities, holding public hearings across the country in regions affected by the 2022 floods. A final report will be handed down during the third quarter of 2024.

The Inquiry will inform the Albanese Government’s broader program of work to address insurance access and affordability. This includes up to $1 billion over five years from 2023-24 (up to $200 million per year) to invest in measures that better protect homes and communities from extreme weather through the flagship Disaster Ready Fund.

The Government is taking proactive steps to mitigate disaster risk and build climate resilient communities. Currently, 97% of disaster funding is going toward recovery and only 3% toward risk mitigation. We want to flip that on its head.

The terms of reference for the inquiry are below.

The Standing Committee on Economics for inquiry and report by quarter 3, 2024:

1. response of insurers to the claims resulting from major 2022 floods, including:

(i) south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales (NSW) floods of February and March 2022;

(ii) Hunter and greater Sydney floods of July 2022;

(iii)Victorian, NSW and Tasmanian floods of October 2022; and

(iv) central west NSW floods of November and December 2022;

2. the inquiry shall have regard to the following matters in respect of the aforementioned floods

(i) the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;

(ii) the different types of insurance contracts offered by insurers and held by policy holders;

(iii) timeframes for resolving claims;

(iv) obstacles to resolving claims, including factors internal to insurers and external, such as access to disaster hit regions, temporary accommodation, labour market conditions and supply chains;

(v) insurer communication with policyholders;

(vi) accessibility and affordability of hydrology reports and assessments to policy holders;

(vii) affordability of insurance coverage to policy holders;

(viii) claimants’ and insurers’ experience of internal dispute resolution processes; and

(ix) the impact of land use planning decisions and disaster mitigation efforts on the availability and affordability of insurance.

3. the inquiry shall also have regard to insurer preparedness for future flood events

4. the inquiry will take into consideration findings from other reports such as Deloitte’s external review of insurers’ responses to the 2022 floods, and ASICs Claims Handling review. 

The House of Representatives agreed to the creation of this inquiry on the afternoon of Monday 7 August 2023.

NORTHERN RIVERS NSW STATE OF PLAY JANUARY 2023: in 39 days time it will be exactly one year since a catastrophic extreme flood devastated Lismore

 

As this sad milestone approaches for Lismore residents it must often feel as though the pain will never stop.

ABC News, 18 January 2023:

The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW says it has received dozens of complaints about power bills issued for unoccupied flood-affected homes & businesses on the state's Far North Coast.

Lismore business owner Anne Walker said she had not used her business premises since it was flooded in February 2022, but months later she received messages from her retailer that said she owed more than $700.

"The texts were coming in saying if I didn't pay this amount, they were going to discontinue my electricity, which is ironic because there was no electricity," she said.

Ms Walker spoke to her provider in October to address the issue, but it took until last week to be resolved.

"It was very stressful — extremely stressful," she said.

The ombudsman's office recorded 55 complaints from the Northern Rivers since the start of September, including 28 from the Lismore area.

"Often there's no resident there, the property is not occupied and, of course, the billing doesn't reflect the fact that," said ombudsman Janine Young.

"[There is] either no usage or, where there is some usage, it's overestimated."

Estimated bills to be reviewed

Residents who spoke to the ABC said the incorrect bills they received were based on estimates of their usage.

This occurs when a meter reader is unable to access a property to record the energy usage, so an estimated bill is issued by the energy provider.

In the case of a situation that has led to vastly reduced energy usage, or no usage at all, Ms Young said the rules for bill estimates needed to be reviewed.

"When estimates are done, the rules allow an estimated bill based on the same period the prior year, or on what a comparable customer might be," she said.

"When there's been floods & there's been no usage, if you're getting an estimate based on the prior year, that's completely wrong.

"Those rules have to be looked at."

Customers should first try to resolve any dispute with their retailer, but those left dissatisfied could turn to Ms Young's office for help, she said.

"We've had outcomes where we've got the bill waived, where we've had the daily supply charges waived as well," Ms Young said.

"The retailer is much more aware of the customer circumstances & when it's likely that the property can be again inhabited — if it can be."

No meters, no power

Adrian Walsh from Broadwater said he received an estimated usage bill of about $800, despite not having power after the flood.

"When I first rang up & complained [to the retailer] ... their solution was to pay the bill & perhaps I could claim it back later," he said.

"I wasn't really in the mood for that."

Bungawalbin's Keely Patch said metering equipment damaged by the floods was still not working in her area.

Despite having only a single working power point in her home, Ms Patch said she was sent estimated usage bills that totalled $800.

"If estimated bills are based off previous usages, that kind of gets taken out of the picture when, for months, there was no usage at all," Ms Patch said.

"Since the bills have come in, I've only been running a fridge & some lights & that's pretty much all I've got."

The ABC heard from people who were experiencing similar issues across a range of energy retailers.

In a statement, Origin Energy said it was committed to supporting customers affected by floods…...

Red Energy said it stopped billing & debt collection activities in the aftermath of the floods while it assessed the situation…….

Exclusive: Only one-fifth of the $1.6bn promised to flood-ravaged communities in the Northern Rivers region of NSW has been paid out by the Perrottet government, new data reveals. @australian https://t.co/SAmCfpvdxe

— Max Maddison (@maxmaddison) January 18, 2023

....Eleven months ago, an unprecedented deluge swept across the eastern seaboard, inundating towns across southeast Queensland and northern NSW, in one of the worst recorded flooding disasters in the nation’s history.

With communities such as Woodburn, Kyogle and Nimbin in the northeastern corner of NSW facing a monumental rebuild, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet vowed not a dollar would be spared in the recovery effort, saying those who had lost homes were a primary concern.

But of the $1.6bn promised by the government in May last year, Service NSW data reveals only $322.2m has been distributed eight months later.

Inordinately high numbers of grants had been ruled ineligible by the government, with more than 67 per cent of small business grants rejected.

South Lismore cafe owner Tony Zammit said his experience in the aftermath of the floods had been positive, but he had faced issues applying for the small grants program later on, with multiple applications green-lit by Service NSW staff before being subsequently rejected.

“Early on they were helpful but as time went on it became daunting. By the end, honest claims and applicants were treated as criminals,” Mr Zammit, the owner of The Sassy Bean cafe, said.

One near-$50,000 claim was deemed ineligible by Service NSW because assessors could not verify an $1100 electrician’s bill, he said. When he attempted to resubmit his claim, Mr Zammit was told he could not submit any of the same receipts as they had all been deemed fraudulent.

More than 80 per cent of rental support applications have been declined, while of special disaster grants available to farmers and primary producers, only $116m of $302m claimed has been paid out, despite 86 per cent of applications being approved or rejected.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warned in May last year the government had an “obligation” to ensure the proper processes were in place to filter out fraudulent grant applications. The NSW government’s independent 2022 flood inquiry noted concerns among flood-impacted farming communities that there were “onerous processes for accessing grants, and for submitting development applications”.

An upper house inquiry reached similar conclusions, finding a lack of streamlined grants processes meant applicants were repeatedly interviewed, “leading to frustration and trauma”, while a lack of assessors on the ground “delayed the rollout of grants”…..

An insurance crisis grips the flood-ravaged Central West of NSW as state enters 69th day of consecutive flooding

 

The Sydney Morning Herald, A frame grab from aerial drone vision over Eugowra (Postcode 2806) on Tuesday. 15 November 2022. IMAGE: Mat Reid

Mainstream media reports that the entire postcode of 2871 is to be denied future flood cover by insurance industry. Included in this postcode are:

Bandon, Bedgerebong, Bundaburrah, Calarie, Carrawabbity, Corinella, Cumbijowa, Daroobalgie, Fairholme, Forbes, Garema, Grawlin, Gunning Gap, Jemalong, Mulyandry, Ooma, Warroo, Weelong, Wirrinya and Yarragong. 

The Sydney Morning Herald, Morning Edition,17 November 2022:

Insurers drop flood-stricken residents

As floods continue to devastate the state’s central west, exhausted residents have begun receiving letters from their insurers telling them they are no longer covered. Touring the affected areas, acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government would continue to talk to its state counterpart about potential land buybacks. But the insurance crisis prompted calls for the federal government to intervene with a reinsurance pool like it did in Queensland, where premiums skyrocketed due to cyclones.

“There’s got to be a suite of measures on the table, from the financial to the physical, like flood mitigation,” said local federal MP Andrew Gee. In 2019, the state government committed to raising the wall of Wyangala Dam, which has been spilling hundreds of thousands of megalitres of water a day as communities downstream are inundated. However, laws allowing the government to fast-track that project expired last year before work commenced, and Opposition Leader Chris Minns will not commit to it if elected next year. He says the multibillion-dollar project is being used by the government to peddle “false hope” for flood-ravaged communities…..

Photo: Alex Ellinghausen, see more here.

• See the latest news in our live flood coverage

"Australia’s fun makers battle 300% insurance rise & Liberal Govt backflip on support" - Morrison & Co turn their backs on folk who add the sparkle to our country shows

Cardinal Spin, media release, 11 May 2022:

FURTHER RIDE STOPS PLANNED AT SHOWS ACROSS NSW & QLD

12.00pm Saturday May 14th

Australia’s fun makers battle 300% insurance rise & Liberal Govt backflip on support

Following a ride stop at Hawkesbury Show, Australia’s largest regional show, last weekend - attended by 150 Sydney industry protestors and their families – operators at Shows across New South Wales and Queensland will this Saturday May 14th stage another ride stop to highlight the catastrophic consequences of a failed insurance market which includes the escalation in insurance costs over the last twelve months and scarce availability, and to put the spotlight on the Morrison Government’s renege on promised support.

Shows that will be impacted by the planned fifteen minute ride stop, under the banner of the Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) and the Showmen’s Guilds of Australia include:

NSW

Bingara Show - 13th to 15th May

Coffs Harbour Show - 13th to 15th May

Bourke Show - 14th May

Orange Show - 14th to 15th May

Yeoval Show - 17th May

QLD

Gympie Show – 12th – 14th May

Ipswich Show – 13th – 15th May (Which includes ‘The Beast’, one of Australia’s $3 million rides)

Charleville Show – 12th – 14th May

Brookfield Show (Brisbane) – 13th – 15th May

The ride stop will happen at midday this Saturday.

And it’s not just travelling show ride operators who will be impacted. The rising insurance costs will also impact owners of trampoline parks, go kart tracks, ice rinks, bowling alleys, family entertainment centres, theme parks and more.

“It’s a huge industry employing more than 7,000 people and contributing $1.84 billion to the economy annually that will be killed off if these insurance rises aren’t addressed and some support offered,” said President of the Australasian Showmen’s Guild, Aaron Pink.

“We have ticked every box and jumped through every hoop the Liberal Government have asked of us to gain support – as we were advised the support would come if we followed the process, and yet it wasn’t included in the recent budget – and last week we received an official rejection. We did it all, and at a significant cost to our membership, and we’ve been left high and dry. Our insurance costs have gone up by an astronomical 300% in just twelve months which is totally unmanageable for our members, some unable to achieve any insurance. We’re talking about a lot of Ma and Pa operators who have struggled through Covid with mass cancellation of fairs, shows and attractions, as well as bushfires and floods. They don’t have the fund behind them to take on such a huge insurance cost increase, it’s just another kick in the guts from Government,” said AALARA President Shane McGrath.

Until last week Scott Morrison’s Government had been working with the peak industry bodies and commissioned ASBFEO to report into the proposed solution and make a recommendation.

The solution put forward was a Discretionary Mutual Fund, as recommend by Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Bilson. The Ombudsman’s forty-two-page report into the insurance crisis facing Australia’s amusement, leisure and recreation sector presented a clear argument for support of the struggling sector, saying ‘the clear and present danger is real’.

“After working with the Federal Government for fourteen months on a solution we feel like they’ve just picked up the hammer from one of our high strikers and dropped it on us. If we can’t gain support this will mean the end of the line for thousands of people who work in our industry. And this will trickle down into the community. Imagine the Royal Easter Show or Ekka, or the hundreds of country shows without a sideshow alley and rides? Or iconic amusement parks like Luna Park or all the hundreds of local bowling alleys and family entertainment centres having to close their doors? The Government will effectively kill the fun for everyone if they don’t step up to help us find a solution. We all feel like they’ve taken us all for a ride,” added Shane McGrath.

NSW Flood February-March 2022: long wait for flood insurance assessments of damaged properties & independent review of emergency services response

 

Grafton NSW
IMAGE: Sydney Morning Herald, 1 March 2022

The Daily Examiner online, 13 March 2021:

The words on the wooden sign have become a symbol of what the Tucabia couple say they’ve repeatedly faced with their insurer in an attempt to save the two-storey house they’ve owned for 30 years.

They’re one of many flood-hit families that have filled the nearby town of Grafton, with insurance delays causing them to keep extending their temporary accommodation.

All but one hotel in Grafton was running at capacity on Friday – with owners largely attributing that to an influx of emergency service workers and newly homeless flood victims from throughout the region.

The clean and tidy Quality Inn Grafton is a far cry from the horrid stench of Suzanne and David Larkin’s water-edge house some 20 minutes away, which was flooded in water half way up its second floor.

“It’s devastating, there’s no other way to put it,” Ms Larkin said.

“Everything is ruined.”

She said her free-range chickens were cramped in a tiny cage and her rescue dogs were traumatised.

“All that’s sentimental is gone,” she said.

She said most days she had spent hours on hold to her insurance company, AAMI, only to have to explain her situation to a new person each time.

That person kept pushing back the house assessment date, pushing the chances of her home being demolished higher each time.

She said AAMI had agreed to cover their temporary accommodation cost until March 30, but the couple expected they’d live in Grafton up to two more months.

“The government says it’ll give us a rental grant, but have you seen the market around here,” Ms Larkin said.

“Where are the houses?”

It appears they’re not alone.

Quality Inn Grafton owner Janelle Boekman said the majority of her rooms were full of homeless families from nearby towns seeking refuge, and a large portion of them complained of similar delays with insurance companies.

“It seems the companies are prioritising other areas and it’s got a lot of people upset, which is really hard to see,” Ms Boekman said.

Abbey Motor Inn Grafton manager Grant Cornish said he had been turning dozens of people away who were looking for temporary accommodation while waiting on insurers.

“This town is chockers – it could do with a few more hotels at the moment,” he said.

Although frustrating insurance delays were disrupting many lives, insurance expert from Compare the Market Steven Zeller said there was no simple solution.

“Insurers have been inundated with well above 80,000 claims across NSW and Queensland and it’s putting absolute pressure on them,” he said.

“They’re trying to get additional staff to help with the shortage and get assessors out, but they might be isolating due to Covid, there could be difficulty getting out to these areas, there are many reasons.”

Mr Zeller said there was a double whammy of a serious supply shortage that posed challenges for insurers trying to access building materials and tradesman.

“So even when an assessor gets out, you’re likely to experience a delay for several more months to have your property fixed,” he said.

“We’re all in a waiting game here.”

In terms of salvaging homes before it’s too late, Mr Zeller said people could take off damaged carpets and furniture to ease some dampness but could not go “knocking down walls” until the place was assessed.

Suncorp Group, which own AAMI insurance, said it has increased staff to help with the flood response in NSW and Queensland, where it had received more than 32,000 claims.

The most claims came from Lismore, Chinderah and Murwillumbah in NSW and Deagon, Aspley and Everton Park in Queensland.

Suncorp Group CEO Steve Johnston said it had created a new dedicated flood response and recovery team that relied on aerial imagery, real-time data and on the ground insights to direct the right support.

“We recognise the scale of this flooding emergency, and the devastating impact it has had on so many people and communities, many of whom are facing a long road to recovery,” Mr Johnston said.....

NSW flood emergency response scrutinised

AAP General News Wire, 13 March 2022:

NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke says all aspects of the emergency services response to the flood crisis will be examined in an independent review.

An independent review of the NSW government's response to the state's flood crisis will determine what mistakes were made and what can be improved, the emergency services minister says.

"I think we can always do better next time," Step Cooke told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday.

There are now 8000 Australian Defence Force personnel in NSW ensuring supplies reach communities that are still cut off by floodwaters, as well as helping with the massive clean-up operation.

However, there has been criticism of how long it took to deploy troops to help with the crisis and questions are being asked about who is to blame.

SES commissioner Carlene York has also faced questions about why civilian rescue helicopters were left grounded across the state as floodwaters inundated the Northern Rivers.

Ms Cooke says all aspects of the emergency services response will be examined, adding it's a complex issue.

The review will determine why it took so long to get troops on the ground in the Northern Rivers to help thousands of people whose homes were inundated with flood waters.

"The deployment of ADF troops is something that will be considered as part of that review," Ms Cooke said.

"If there are ways that we need to do things differently in the future to ensure that our communities have the maximum amount of notice to prepare and our response is timely and is where it is needed, when it is needed, then that is something that will benefit communities right across NSW."

Ms York says worse than forecast weather explained why civilian rescue helicopters were not called to help with the crisis.

Emergency crews were only expecting minor to moderate flooding in the region; less than had inundated the north coast last year.

"We resourced appropriately on those levels," Ms York said on Sunday.

Instead towns were hit with record floods, including in Lismore where waters were two metres above any event recorded.

Helicopters were meanwhile deployed to areas like Cooma, near the Snowy Mountains, to be on standby for floods that never arrived.

Ms York said the worst of the floods in the Northern Rivers had hit at night when rescue crews were restricted in what they could do.

Meanwhile, the SES has determined 3396 homes are uninhabitable and 6708 were inundated as 120 motor homes were last week on their way to the Northern Rivers to deal with a drastic shortage of accommodation as part of a $551 million housing support package…...