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Lenguaje y Literatura
Lenguaje y Literatura
Lenguaje y Literatura
"It's devastating. The amount of time and effort you put in your home and
then to see it go under water."
"I've worked with people who've been in similar situations - now this
happened to me," he says.
"I was shocked at how fast [the water] rose... more than a metre in a
couple of hours. I went from being worried about our property to being
worried about our safety."
In the past three years, record-breaking bushfire and flood events have
killed more than 500 people and billions of animals. Drought, cyclones and
freak tides have gripped communities.
"Climate change is playing out in real time here and many Australians now
find it impossible to insure their homes and businesses," says chief
executive Amanda McKenzie.
The state most exposed
"I still feel quite traumatised when it rains heavily," says Michelle Vine,
whose East Brisbane home was destroyed along with decades of her
artwork.
Insurers say the floods - which also battered New South Wales - will
become Australia's most expensive flood event ever. But even before this
year, insurance costs were skyrocketing.
Though rising property prices are one factor, Australia's peak insurance
industry body points the finger at climate change.
Over the past decade, the amount paid out by insurers on damage claims
from natural disasters has roughly doubled.
On average, consumers now pay almost four times for home insurance
premiums than in 2004.
"Households that don't have insurance risk losing their most important
asset."
Ms Vine is one example of this - saying she was drawn to a vulnerable area
by price. At the time, she felt like she'd "won the lottery". Mr Bowstead
made a similar choice, describing it as "a Catch-22... for young people".
And once in a risky area, it's near impossible for many to get out - as is the
case for Gary Godley in the town of Grantham, west of Brisbane.
"We want out. We just can't afford it," Mr Godley says. "We can't do
anything."