COTA SA's Climate Change Group is passionate about the actions that individuals can take, big or small, that helps to care for the planet. One of these actions is sharing stories and finding reliable sources of information that are balanced and easy to understand. Our Climate Change Group members will share stories and information that they find useful with the hope that you will find it useful too! Today, Insuring for Extreme Weather Events:

We are experiencing an increased level of extreme weather events in Australia - with Cyclone Alfred, the latest event. This Cyclone has unfortunately brought flooding to many homes in Queensland and New South Wales.

Although South Australia does not generally have the same level of flood risk as the East Coast of Australia, parts of Adelaide have experienced flooding in the past and bushfires are an ongoing risk for rural and peri-urban areas.

Governments have made significant investments in attempting to reduce the risk of extreme weather events. As one example: in the Brownhill Keswick Creek catchment, works have been undertaken to help prevent the worst effects of future flooding – from the Mitcham and Burnside Council areas, through Unley and the City of Adelaide, to West Torrens.

Despite these risk-reduction investments, many households have reported a substantial increase in premiums for house insurance. A small number of households have also reported that house insurance has been declined because of location on the flood plain.

The COTA SA Climate Change Group has identified the affordability of house insurance as a significant issue for older people. If you want to chat about this topic, please contact us via the COTA SA reception desk on 08 82320422.