Amalia has lived in her Mudgeeraba family home on the Gold Coast for 35 years and has never experienced anything like ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
During the storm, her home lost power and two large trees fell on the property, causing widespread devastation.
One large tree fell near her granddaughter Stephanie’s room, after which Stephanie and her dog Louie moved to their grandmother’s room for safety.
Forty minutes later, a second, much larger tree crashed through the roof above Amalia’s bedroom, causing part of the ceiling to collapse where she and Stephanie were lying in bed at the time.
Luckily no one was harmed, including Louie who was later found hiding under the bed.
They quickly rang emergency services who arrived at the scene and immediately declared the house unsafe, advising them to evacuate immediately to a family member’s home.
Stephanie's mother Silvana was shocked when she received the phone call from her daughter that night telling her what had happened.
“They were lucky to be alive,” Silvana said.
“Steph also had to be very, very careful driving to my house in that weather because the winds were so strong and it was raining so much.”
The day after the incident, Silvana called Suncorp to lodge a claim on her mother’s behalf.
Silvana found the process to be simple – and she felt heard right from the beginning.
“The claim advisers were very sympathetic and supportive,” she said.
“That was so lovely. They were so understanding.”
Suncorp’s quick response at the scene
Suncorp assessor Matt was at home when he saw Amalia’s damaged property featured on the news.
He recognised it immediately from when he had visited the location for a separate claim in December the previous year.
“I immediately called my manager to let them know one of our customers had been impacted by the cyclone,” Matt said.
Matt and the Suncorp team tried to proactively contact Amalia and her family to see if they needed any immediate assistance but were unable to get through due to limited phone coverage at the time.
Once the storm had passed, Matt visited the property and met with Amalia and Silvana to assess the damage.
“The roof was exposed, flooding had occurred throughout the home, and the contents of the garage were scattered among the debris," he said.
“It was heart-wrenching to see.”
Continuous heavy rain in the region also complicated immediate repairs and removal of the fallen trees, enabling more water damage in the home and significant desecration of the family’s furniture, clothing, tiles, and flooring.
Matt saw that Amalia and Silvana were overwhelmed by the extent of damage, and concerned by the uncertainty of what would happen next.
He quickly reassured them by clearly explaining the claim process and giving them confidence about how they would get them back into their home as soon as possible.
The family also received support from a dedicated claims manager, who helped ease Amalia and Silvana’s worries throughout the claim.
“It was very reassuring knowing that someone who knew the process was there to guide us,” Silvana said.
“It gave us peace of mind because we’ve obviously never been through anything like that.”
Rebuilding the family home with care
Amalia's home was built with a lot of love by her late husband.
She said he designed it to be a strong home, with features like double brick walls and trusses made of hardwood.
Matt worked closely with the builders and the engineers throughout the claim to ensure the home was restored to the exact same standards.
“He delivered on all his promises and he is an extremely honest, professional and caring person,” Silvana said of Matt’s work.
“Suncorp is very lucky to have him on board.”
The family home also holds a lot of cherished memories for Silvana, who grew up there with her brother.
She really appreciated the care and empathy displayed by the Suncorp team when organising and carrying out the repairs for the home.
“Whether over the phone or in person, their communication was very clear and they were very patient because they knew that I had to translate everything to my mum,” she said.
“They were very careful with their words and spoke softly and made my mum feel like she was heard.”
It took approximately six months for the family’s home to be repaired.
Despite the quick turnaround given the extent of damage, Silvana was surprised by how often Suncorp kept in touch.
“Suncorp checked in regularly throughout the claim,” she said.
“It even got to the point where sometimes they were checking in with us weekly.
“I was blown away by the continuous care and reassurance from the whole Suncorp team as well as the level of concern for my mum and family’s wellbeing.”
Being there in the moments that matter
For Silvana, the most challenging part of this experience was seeing her mother distressed due to the volume of loss of her property and personal items.
While Amalia had the support of her family to process what had happened, Suncorp also reached out to offer counselling for Amalia and for all members of her family.
Amalia took advantage of this offer and was provided counselling.
“It allowed her to process the events in her own way and move on from what was a very stressful experience,” Silvana said.
Now, almost a year after the event, Amalia and Silvana continue to speak positively about their experience with Suncorp and the restoration of their home.
Matt, in his capacity as the family’s dedicated assessor, also feels positive about the experience.
He said that working as an assessor can be so fulfilling when you see the real impact that one-on-one support can make in the wake of a disaster.
“What makes Suncorp special is our genuine commitment to our customers and the support that we provide during such difficult times,” he said.
“Being a part of an organisation that truly prioritises customers is something that's very rewarding and purposeful.”