THE Hunter Valley has taken three of the top five spots in new NRMA data revealing which areas lodged the most claims for wild weather over summer.
Muswellbrook, Aberglasslyn and Rutherford trailed behind only Dubbo and Port Macquarie in regional NSW for the number of claims in the insurer's wild weather tracker, while the Hunter Valley overall was the region with the second-highest claim count behind the Far West and Orana area.
In Newcastle it was Warners Bay, Merewether and Blackalls Park with the highest number of claims.
Despite the high number of weather claims, the region ranked in the middle of the pack when it came to preparedness for disasters behind the NSW North and Mid-North coasts, the New England, the Far South Coast, Central Coast, Southern Tablelands and Western NSW.
The preparedness score was down five points versus the summer before.
Overall there were 6086 severe weather home claims over summer, more than half of the claims statewide during that period, with another 2213 lodged for vehicles.
Nationally there were 10,120 weather claims, the insurer reports, the lowest number in six years.
NRMA Insurance executive general manager direct claims Luke Gallagher said research revealed only about 26 per cent of people who moved to a new area had researched their new suburb's vulnerability to wild weather.
"With the increasing frequency and severity of wild weather, it's important for all Australians, and particularly those moving to a new area, to know their local weather risks," Mr Gallagher said.
"Severe weather risks vary significantly by location, and even within towns and suburbs.
"Knowing the specific risks you face is vital, whether that's a high risk such as flood, bushfire and cyclone, or even general risks from wind and storm damage to your property. Not understanding this level of risk can have major safety and financial impacts.
"For example, one common misconception is that a 1-in-100-year flood risk means a flood will only happen every hundred years, when in fact, this means there's a one percent chance of a significant flood in any year."
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