Moree was the hardest hit by storms in North West NSW and among the top five towns in regional NSW affected during the last storm season, according to new data released by the NRMA.
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The latest NRMA Insurance Claims data reveals NSW experienced one of its most intense storm seasons in 2019-2020, with more than half of all home claims in the 2019-20 financial year caused by storm damage.
Moree was named the most storm-impacted town in the North West during the 2019-2020 storm season, which runs from October to March each year.
Tenterfield was second, followed by Tamworth in third place. Inverell and Narrabri were equal fourth and Armidale was the fifth most affected town in the region.
Moree was also the fifth most impacted regional town across NSW, following some big storms in January and February this year. In January, a wild storm wreaked havoc on the town, causing widespread destruction and power outages.
February 2020 (86 per cent of all home claims), January 2020 (59 cent of all home claims) and September 2019 (52 cent of all home claims) were particularly bad months for storm damage in NSW, according to the NRMA data.
The data has been released as storms hit much of the state last week. A 68-year-old man was killed by a falling tree branch during a damaging storm in Armidale last week, which also hit Tamworth hard.
New community research from NRMA Insurance revealing nearly two-thirds of NSW residents are worried severe weather such as storms are becoming more frequent and intense.
NRMA Insurance executive general manager Luke Gallagher said he had not seen weather patterns like those experienced last season and warned that we could face similar conditions again.
"With Australia currently experiencing a La Nina weather system, we could see more severe storms and more intense rain hitting NSW throughout storm season this year," he said.
NRMA Insurance has partnered with the NSW SES this storm season in a bid to encourage NSW residents to prepare for storms early.
They are urging residents to set aside some time this weekend to prepare their homes.
"We know that two in three NSW residents are yet to take steps to prepare their home for severe weather, so we've teamed up with NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) to ask people to complete one task every month to help make their homes safer," Mr Gallagher said.
"We urge NSW residents to put aside some time over the weekend to get ready for storms by clearing their gutters and downpipes.
"Gutters are one of the first parts of your home to flood in a storm so taking time now to prepare could make a big difference when a storm hits. Please be careful though, and if in doubt, hire a professional."
For more information, visit nrma.com.au/firstsaturday.
